"The buzz in education circles is about Commissioner Gene Wilhoit's departure for a top job in Washington, D.C. After expressions of regret, the conversation quickly turns to what comes next and what is important as the state Board of Education searches for Wilhoit's successor. Here are a few thoughts about what Kentucky needs in its next commissioner of education.
Kentucky needs a commissioner who will make the state proud of its public schools and relentlessly focus on high achievement for all children — accepting no excuses for mediocrity. Kentucky needs a commissioner who will attract top talent to schools and to the state education department and who will keep patronage hiring out of the system. Kentucky needs a commissioner who will close the gap between high achieving and struggling students — and schools.
Kentucky needs a commissioner who will skillfully implement and defend a tough but fair school accountability program, not fall back to the lowest common denominator. Kentucky needs a commissioner who will build bridges to both parties and chambers of the legislature and, finally, who people outside of Kentucky try to hire away from us, as did the Council of Chief State School Officers with Gene Wilhoit.
I recently heard an international education figure tell leaders of the Kentucky Association of Electric Cooperatives that, "as I travel the country talking to groups, Kentucky is one of about five states people always talk about for improving their public schools."
Without the right leadership, that kind of talk could easily stop. Competition is fierce, and other states are improving as much and more than Kentucky. And it's important to remember that slowing down a moving train by applying the brakes of lost interest is easier than building the momentum to get the train rolling again.
It isn't that Gene Wilhoit is irreplaceable. But he was, in my view, the most effective commissioner Kentucky has had since the job was created in 1990, when Kentucky dumped its old political way of electing the frequently mediocre school chief and started trying to hire the best.
Wilhoit was the third professional in the job, and he was able to consolidate the gains of earlier years. He also focused relentlessly on improving student learning in a way never seen before. Several years ago, when we worked closely with several corporate CEOs, I asked an executive what made his ordinary-appearing colleagues so successful? "Focus, focus, focus," he said.
That's what Wilhoit has done. Whether he was talking with local superintendents (one small district superintendent told me, "We could talk to him," implying, without meaning to, something special), visiting schools (there were probably hundreds), or addressing parent or teacher audiences, his message was crystal clear: improving student achievement is our priority; every child achieving at a high level is essential.
Piles of national evidence show that focus pays off as student achievement and college-going improve. Not perfect — and certainly not all we want — but improvement beyond dispute. Now we're approaching a crossroads. One road sign reads "Keep going — this is getting harder," the other, "Turn around and go back."
This junction looms ever larger on the horizon as student achievement results from the Commonwealth Accountability Testing System are reported each year. Overall student achievement increases. Many schools shine, having reached their 2014 goal already, including schools who educate some of the most poverty-stricken communities in the United States.
But it's not good enough. Large numbers of schools are moving too slowly toward their 2014 goals, so slowly that reaching those goals seems unlikely — a situation that has been predicted for many years.
This outcome for underachieving schools is not inevitable. Schools can improve, and the proof lies in those that have, especially those that have beaten the odds with students who start out way behind. We know a lot about how to make this happen.
This is a key challenge for the new commissioner — leading the state successfully toward a goal that is now only eight years away.
The new commissioner will have limited resources at his or her disposal to accomplish this objective. Kentucky schools are trying to catch up and even surpass other states. Despite recent increases, we invest about $1,000 less per pupil than the national average, and the state's capacity to help schools has also been cut as the Kentucky Department of Education reduced staff by about 160 people (29 percent) since 1991.
Good teaching, leadership and all the rest, as some people love to say, is more important than money. You simply can't have them, however, without adequate funding.
A big spurt of energy will be needed from our next commissioner to push all schools to their goals. And the new commissioner will need to convince legislators to invest wisely in ways that spur further improvement: high-quality professional development for teachers; expert help and maybe restructuring for habitually struggling schools; top-notch teachers for all kids; quality pre-school for all; first-rate leadership at all schools; more rigorous courses for high school students; modern technology and the training to use it; extra time and help for kids who need it; and more.
All of this is doable — the ideas are there, the committed people are there, the public interest is there. What's needed to complete the formula for success is a new shot of energy, creativity and passion that the right commissioner of education will bring.
Robert F. Sexton is executive director of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence.