Former Tulsa mayor speaks on Race to the Top grant

Posted: 08 Jul 2010 03:26 PM PDT

The upcoming exit of so many leaders from public office could hurt Oklahoma's chances of winning a federal Race to the Top grant for public school reform, former Mayor Kathy Taylor said Thursday.

"I think we have a much better chance (in the second round of the competition) because we have the framework of our application in legislation," Taylor said at the Tulsa Press Club's Page One speaker series.

"The weakness in our application is the governor, the president pro-tem, the speaker and the state school superintendent will be completely different after the election … Essentially, we will be handing over a plan that we've already completed to a completely new government of the state and that's the weakness."

Since leaving office, Taylor has been a top education adviser to Gov. Brad Henry and has spearheaded Oklahoma's application for the federal Race to the Top grant competition. The state is competing for a $175 million share of $3.4 billion to fund public school reforms such as establishing a new system to rate teacher and principal effectiveness.

Finalists for the second round of the grant competition are expected to be announced late this month.

Taylor said she became keenly aware of the impact of the education system on the quality of the nation's workforce when she owned a business and later when she was state secretary of commerce and tourism.

She said people may think they can avoid the problems that exist in public schools by moving to the suburbs, homeschooling their

children or by sending them to private schools, but schools that don't adequately prepare students for college or careers and student dropouts have untold costs on the economy and society at large.

"Education is the single most important factor in poverty," Taylor said. "Every 26 seconds in America, a child drops out of high school. That is over 1.2 million students a year. I would maintain that that is economically unsustainable for our community or for a nation and that it is morally unacceptable."

Taylor, who is Henry's chief of education strategy and innovation, has said she believes that the education reform agenda developed for the Race to the Top application will be pursued even if Oklahoma is not selected.

The application includes a vision for a transformed public education system in the state by August 2012, with higher standards, new assessments and data systems, and accountability initiatives including a teacher and principal rating system.

"Right now there is a lot of misinformation and fear — and there always is with change. And I think it is incumbent upon all of us to have the dialogue so people know any change that is made will be fair and made with input," Taylor said. "This is not an overnight change. It is a long change and it will take a long education and communication process."

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Homeschooling

Friday, July 9, 2010