BY: NATASHA JASPERSON
American Enterprise Institute’s Frederick M. Hess and Jorge Elorza, CEO of Democrats for Education Reform, met on October 30th, 2024 to discuss whether there is room for common ground or shared agreement on education issues. The hour-long conversation centered on the current state of politics surrounding education versus their state 10 years ago and a vision for the future. The discussion was part of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies.
Frederick M. Hess is the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), a senior fellow, and an affiliate of AEI’s James Q. Wilson Program in K–12 Education Studies, where he works on K–12 and higher education issues. He is Republican-leaning. He is also the founder and chairman of AEI’s Conservative Education Reform Network.
Jorge Elorza is the CEO of Democrats for Education Reform. He previously served two terms as Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, where he focused on education. As stated in his bio, “This included taking the unprecedented step to engage the state Department of Education to turn around the city’s chronically underperforming school system, creating the city’s Eat, Play, Learn Initiative to expand out-of-school enrichment, and launching a nationally recognized African American Ambassador Group to bring Black leaders into the center of policymaking. Notably, he invested $400 million into repairing school buildings and supported the expansion of high-quality public charter schools.”
Elorza began the discussion by stating, “It’s been a good 8-10 years since we have had national Democratic leadership in education issues. 10 years ago, Democrats had a 26-point advantage when it came to voter trust on education over Republicans. COVID changed everything. And so today, that advantage has almost entirely disappeared….Democrats, we used to fashion ourselves as the party of education. It’s hard to say that we still are.”
When questioned on what has changed in the political landscape since there was a lot of support for Democrats running as school reformers in the past, Jorge indicated that there was disappointment that voters and politicians didn’t see progress quickly in education reforms. This caused many to drift away from education issues.
Elorza stressed that there are three key issues causing polarization in education. The first is that support at the ground level has not reached the political level. Political incentives do not fully align with what Democrats advocate for, which is broadly popular. The second issue is that Democrats do not have a clear vision of what in education needs to be rebuilt. In the past, Democrats strongly advocated for charter schools. On the Republican side, there is the big idea of private school choice or vouchers. The third issue is a lack of strong executive leadership in Washington, DC.
Elorza stated, “There has been no alternative that’s been offered by our side. What has been advocated for politically by our party when it comes to education policy is more and more at odds with what I see the base of the party, the voters, actually wanting.”
He emphasized that there are three elements to causes Democrats advocate for in education. These three elements are innovation and scale, accountability, and choice. He said the lack of these three elements has led to stagnation within the party. He also stressed that there are no incentives aligned with politicians to get them to platform on education issues. It was indicated that education issues do not make or break a political campaign therefore, there is no incentive to champion education issues.
Elorza said, “The fundamental problem is our schools are not getting better fast enough. If they are getting better at all.”
He emphasized that schools are not designed to get better. We should have variety, innovation, accountability, and choice at a systems level. Families should be able to choose from the many education options available. He said that currently there is very little choice for families. The lack of all these elements has also led to stagnation.
When asked how they can get traction in the Democratic coalition, Jorge stated that education issues do not currently align. The reasons they don’t include a lack of financing to campaign on education issues, a lack of executive leadership, and there is a lack of incentives to focus on education issues for many politicians.
Elorza stressed, “Political leadership matters a great deal. And the political leadership that matters more than any other is executive leadership. Executives set the agenda, provide policy guidance and political cover. We had President Clinton and President Obama provide that cover. We just haven’t had that executive leadership coming from Washington over the past 8 years. That still leaves governors. And I think there is a lot of opportunity with governors across the country.”
He emphasized that numerous governors are likely to take a proactive stance on education reform in the coming years, seeing it as an essential issue that affects their states’ economic and social well-being. He believes this represents a unique chance to collaborate closely with state leaders to craft policies that address pressing educational challenges and align with public expectations and priorities. He is optimistic that governors will advocate for and implement educational policies. This would allow education to remain a top priority even if national support fluctuates.
Elorza said, “Our path to a more comfortable life, our path to upward mobility, is almost always dependent on the quality of public schools. There aren’t many other pathways for (voters). For so many folks, we rely on the quality of our public schools. Us, Democrats, as a matter of political survival and sharp political interest, this is an issue we have to take the lead on again.”
Elorza emphasized that when it comes to teaching American history, there is no need to simplify the narrative or pick and choose between positive and negative aspects. “This is the greatest nation in the history of the Earth,” he stated, adding that understanding America’s full history-both its triumphs and its struggles – is crucial. He argued that teaching a comprehensive history does not undermine patriotism; instead it enriches our understanding and appreciation of the nation’s journey. He noted that this approach to history education should be a priority for politicians.
“What I would like to see is education (K-12 education) be talked about when we talk about opportunity economy or our local economic development visions in our respective states. Let’s make sure that K-12 is embedded in that. It’s a core part of your vision and your agenda. I’ll take that. There are alot of directions you can go in that will drive results for kids, but thinking as executives, what we urge governors to do, is just set a very clear student-centered goal that is time bound, that is concrete, and let it be known to your team that this is what you expect them to accomplish by the end of two years, by the end of four years, and the end of eight years and that you are going to hold them accountable, and that you are willing to expend political capital to make sure they are able to get the job done,” Elorza said.
In their discussion, Fred M. Hess and Jorge Elorza highlighted the challenges and opportunities for collaboration across political lines in education reform. Elorza’s perspective, reflecting on the Democratic Party’s fading leadership in education and the loss of public trust, underscored a pressing need for clarity, innovation, and strong executive support. While both parties face distinct challenges, Elorza emphasized that political leadership, particularly from state governors, could drive essential reforms, bridging the gap between public needs and political will. With state-level leaders poised to take a more active role, there is hope that meaningful changes can address longstanding issues in education, allowing it once again to become a priority for policymakers across the political spectrum.
