One size fits all students

There are intriguing parallels between Joel Klein, the New York City public schools chancellor, and Alan Bersin, the recently-departed San Diego schools chief (who was just appointed by Arnold Schwarzenegger to be education secretary and member of the California school board). Both were federal prosecutors who depended on high-profile educators to pick their instructional programs. Both centralized authority.

Fundamental to their approach is the belief that there is one right model of education that works for all students. Many of their critics believe that Klein, Bersin, and their educational mentors chose the wrong math and reading programs. But even many of these critics believe the same fundamental idea--that there is one model that is right for every student, just not the ones chosen for New York and San Diego.

A contrasting concept is that there is no one right model that will fit every student. This was the central organizing idea behind the Milwaukee educational reforms. In this view as much decisionmaking as possible should be moved to the schools and to parents. As parents search and find schools that work for their children, successful schools will expand or be replicated; unsuccessful schools will change or close. Almost all of the reforms--admissions standards, school councils, neighborhood schools, letting schools choose principals, changing the way principals were chosen and trained, per pupil funding, charter schools, annual testing, and even support of vouchers--can be viewed as tools to make decentralization work.

The challenge for the school board over the next two years is to determine how to make these tools more effective and what additional tools are needed.