Editorial: The trouble with schools

Gov. Glenn Youngkin seems to genuinely believe he can radically overhaul public education in Virginia through the sheer force of executive will rather than through patient coalition building and stakeholder engagement.

His efforts may prove successful, but it’s a counterintuitive way to achieve something — improved student performance — that should have broad, bipartisan support across the commonwealth.

Last week, the Virginia Department of Education issued a report that savaged the state of public education in the commonwealth. It concluded that Virginia students were falling behind compared to their peers, that schools were not adequately teaching basic skills such as reading and math, and that low standards were to blame.

To make their case, Youngkin’s education officials compared student performance on state-level tests, known as Standards of Learning (SOLs), and a federal testing model called the National Assessment of Educational Performance, or NAEP.

The difference between the two is called the “Honesty Gap,” and the administration’s report found a substantial deviation between the two as they pertain to Virginia’s students. Officials argue that raising state-level standards would provide a clearer, more accurate picture of student performance.

Critics contend that comparing the two scores isn’t as straightforward as the report claims. Analysis by The Washington Post and others insist the Youngkin administration misused the NAEP data to create an appearance of failure that is barely tethered to reality.

Senate Majority Leader Richard L. Saslaw said the governor’s assessment was “an outright lie.” The Virginia Education Association called it a “blatant manipulation of data.”

From the Post analysis: “Federal studies have found year after year that the NAEP basic score best approximates state passing rates and that the appropriate comparison to draw is between state passing rates and the percentage of students scoring basic.”

Those comparisons find Virginia students doing quite well against national averages. Asked about it, Youngkin said, “One of the biggest mistakes that we can make is to try to refute data that’s overwhelmingly clear.”

The concerted pushback to the report is likely as much due to its rationale as it is opposition to Youngkin’s repeated attacks on public education, a contentious approach that began on the campaign trail.

Since taking office, Youngkin has accused teachers and schools of promoting “divisive concepts” in the classroom and established a tip line to solicit reports from the public. He has erased policies intended to promote equity in education and pushed public school alternatives, including lab and charter schools.

So it’s little surprise that when Youngkin says “We want to be the best in education. We should be the best in education,” as he did in presenting the report last week, there will be plenty of people who question his motives.

Is this a legitimate reform effort or another instance of Youngkin using public schools as a punching bag? Does he want to raise the quality of public education or merely advance the cause of school choice, siphoning students and money away from public schools?

If his intent is pure, then he will need to engage more seriously with the very people tasked with that work. The governor has not built strong relationships with teachers, administrators, education policy experts and other stakeholders to build momentum for reform.

As a result, they don’t trust that he has a genuine interest in improving public schools. What the governor believes is bold truth telling smacks of cynical grandstanding.

Here’s the thing: Everyone should support measures that provide a clear view of student achievement, help illuminate areas of concern and provide a roadmap for improvement. That’s why changes to accreditation standards adopted by the General Assembly in 2017 received broad, bipartisan support; lawmakers thought that would serve the commonwealth.

If Youngkin wants to ratchet up standards to raise expectations and improve public education, that should be an easy sell.

But before the governor tackles the “honesty gap” he will have to close the “trust gap.” His willingness to do so will speak volumes about his intentions for public schools.