Tom Horne bashed critical race theory in a room full of educators. Then this happened

Improving Arizona education has become political dynamite.

And no, I’m not just talking about the uproar over critical race theory, book bans or any of the other issues that have hopelessly polarized us.

We can’t even make progress in areas where there is widespread agreement, like paying teachers more.

A Republican’s proposal to boost salaries by $10,000 each is stuck because Democrats won’t get on board, saying it fails to address long-term budget issues.

How do we break this deadlock?

Maybe what happened last week at the Helios Education Campus can be a guide.

Everyone agreed on higher education's value

Educators, businesspeople and others had gathered to talk about a new report that quantifies the economic impact of postsecondary education in Arizona.

It found that increasing college enrollment by 20% could produce billions of dollars for Arizona each year, including millions of dollars of revenue for cash-strapped rural areas.

Speakers echoed the benefits of offering dual enrollment classes in high school, so students can graduate with college courses (or even a certification) already under their belt.

They touted the need for more robust early education, so more students can be proficient in reading by third grade and in math by eighth grade – two milestones that help predict their success in high school and beyond.

Then state school superintendent Tom Horne took the stage.

Tom Horne made controversial statements

Horne said, among other things, that too much class time is spent on critical race theory and social emotional learning, and that his laser focus would be on removing what he views as distractions from the classroom.

You could have heard a pin drop. Some faces looked uncomfortable.

And that’s OK, Paul Luna, Helios’ CEO, told the crowd after Horne had finished.

This is why we convene these meetings, he explained.

Not to ensure everyone agrees on everything, but to equip folks with useful data and welcome a broad swath of opinions, controversial or not, on how to move forward.

The point, he said, is to engage in civil discourse.

Then, the mood in the room changed

That changed the mood in the room. Some participants told Luna afterward that he was right: We do make better decisions when diverse voices are involved.

Indeed.

Arizona needs places where folks can engage with the other side, without fear of reprisal, and mutually agree on next steps.

Book bans to bathrooms:Lawmakers push new rules for classrooms

Because, perhaps ironically, there are a lot of education ideas with widespread support – including the need to improve student outcomes, and bolster teacher retention and recruitment.

Horne, for his part, has said he’s willing to support efforts to boost dual enrollment, and education advocates, to their credit, have said they’re eager to engage with him on that.

If we want action, we must engage all sides

So, how do we capitalize on those shared values and find some wins?

I won’t pretend that this is easy.

Our politics today make it easier to demonize those with which we may disagree, or to simply shut them out of brainstorming sessions.

But the state already has too many echo chambers. And we can’t keep focusing on what divides us.

Otherwise, promising efforts to improve education quality will remain disjointed, instead of gaining the critical mass necessary to positively impact schools statewide.

Which shortchanges our kids and – ultimately – Arizona’s economic potential.

Reach Allhands at joanna.allhands@arizonarepublic.com. On Twitter: @joannaallhands.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Tom Horne bashed critical race theory. Then this happened