Holden's education plan has good points

Gov. Bob Holden took a bold step last week.

He traveled from one outstanding Missouri school to another, including Jackson High School, repeating the details of a plan he hopes will bring every school in the state up to the same high standard.

He intends to make it the cornerstone of his legislative agenda.

Details of the plan were an unexpected and pleasant surprise from a Democratic governor who is going head-to-head with teachers unions over educator accountability.

Here are some points in the plan that would apply only to Missouri's failing schools, as determined by state accreditation standards:

The state won't interfere with local school boards and administrators, but those folks would be held accountable for school performance.

Students who score poorly on the Missouri Assessment Program standardized test would be required to take it until they showed improvement.

Troubled districts would have to pick from Holden's menu of solutions: reducing class sizes, implementing full-day kindergartens and pre-schools, hiring teacher specialists in problem areas and extending the school day through tutoring.

Teachers would have to prove themselves to earn raises. That would mean doing one of the following: passing a standardized test in their subjects, enrolling in the National Board Certification Program, passing the course to become an advance placement teacher or passing the course to become a MAP testing scorer.

Some Missouri teachers were immediately upset by the last requirement, but Holden made a good point while addressing teachers and students in Jackson:

"If they're doing an outstanding job and have good knowledge of their subject, there should be no concern."

The most amazing part of the plan is that, in a time when the state budget is tight, he's wisely not offering any more money to districts to do these things.

In other words, no more throwing money at the state's education problems.

Millions of dollars after it began, the Kansas City desegregation fiasco proved that doesn't work. Kansas City has the majority of failing schools that would be affected under Holden's plan.

Fortunately, Cape Girardeau, Scott and Perry counties don't have any schools that would fall under the plan. Leaders of Meadow Heights School District in Bollinger County are convinced they will come off the state's failing list before the legislation is passed.

Certainly, the plan would be strong encouragement to use the best education practices every school day of every year.