Bureaucratic shuffle?

     In his state of the state address in January, Gov. Bob Miller advocated the formation of "inquiry teams" to deal with public schools that demonstrate "poor performance." His proposal has now been incorporated into Senate Bill 241.
      Under the legislation, the state Department of Education would evaluate public schools each year on test scores, incidents of violence, alcohol or drug possession, attendance and dropout rates. A school receiving three or more consecutive designations as "performing at a level which requires attention" would face a formal investigation.
      The investigation would be conducted by a team of teachers, parents and administrators from inside and outside the district in question. The bill calls for them to hold public hearings and make recommendations.
      The push to make our schools more accountable is long overdue. But Gov. Miller's approach smacks of the bureaucratic shuffle. The notion that a school might clean up its act to avoid the embarrassment of being the target of such a panel may have some validity. But can we expect an "inquiry team" to prescribe the harsh medicine that might be necessary to help children trapped in a substandard educational environment? Will it advocate for the firing of poor teachers or administrators? Will it push to padlock the doors at a rotten school? Will it urge laws allowing parents and kids to vote with their feet?
      Never.
      If the governor truly seeks to force the state's public schools to become more accountable for the results they produce, he'd abandon SB241 in favor of legislation that offers parents more choices concerning the education of their children. Subjecting the public school system to the rigors of the educational marketplace, an approach gaining favor across the country, would prove a much more effective promotion of accountability than anything in SB241.