Education in Idaho is at a crossroads. In most Idaho school districts, test scores are improving, graduation rates are higher than national averages and students enter the workplace prepared for their futures. But our progress is inconsistent.
To provide leadership and vision, the superintendent must have broad experience in both education and government. My four terms in the Idaho Legislature and 28 years in various levels of education give me the strongest background for the office. But most of all, I know that good teachers and a good system can uncover wonderful possibilities inside each child.
Idaho schools must meet the needs of all students. I support efforts to expand charter schools and offer choices for students. We mustn't forget, however, that the best choice is an excellent neighborhood school! In Boise, we cut the dropout rate by more than half by opening alternative schools and making sure that every struggling student received extra attention.
We can improve instruction by making common sense changes to the NCLB law as it is applied in Idaho and by providing better math and science instruction. I will work with the State Board of Education to make sure these things are done while still preserving teaching of the humanities, continuing progress already made in reading and in achievement standards, and seriously looking at how our schools are structured. My web site, www.ssmylie.com, gives details of my specific ideas.
Education is a multi-faceted thing. We cannot just gauge progress by how high a child marks on a standardized test. Education is a process of making human beings better prepared to live in a civilized, democratic society, as President Garfield said: “Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained.” Work and citizenship skills matter, but there is more. Another great American, William White, put it this way, “In education we are striving not to teach youth to make a living, but to make a life.” We cannot forget that part of a good education is also teaching a child to play an instrument, raise his voice in song, learn to value physical fitness, understand philosophy, read fine literature, learn from history, and discover that art is inside of everyone.
We must bring the various factions in education together. The last few years have seen unnecessary bickering and division. I am the only candidate who has a proven record of working cooperatively with all of the various groups. The education of our children is far too important to allow disagreements and political agendas to interfere. We need to work together; our children depend on it.