Needless orthodoxy left behind

SENATOR BARACK Obama gave a welcome indication last week that he will stand on the side of education reform - even if it requires keeping a distance from the nation's powerful teachers' unions. By proposing to double federal spending on charter schools, Obama is showing a willingness to put the educational needs of US students above the concerns of a traditional Democratic labor constituency.

In an education speech Tuesday at a high school near Dayton, Ohio, the Democratic presidential nominee expressed confidence in public-funded charter schools, which operate outside the control of school districts and free of the union work rules that often stifle education. Local school districts often resent the competition for funding. But charter school educators nationwide are showing that flexible scheduling, budgeting, hiring, and governance can lead to significant improvements in academic performance, especially in cities.

Serious debate about the quality of US education has been wanting in the presidential campaign. But the next president will be required to decide whether to reauthorize the stalled federal No Child Left Behind law, which holds schools accountable for student performance on statewide tests. Obama's speech put some needed attention on education, and should provide a comfort level for independent voters who value results over political orthodoxies.

Obama also reiterated his support for merit pay for teachers, another nod to reason in a nation worried that its students lag those in other industrialized countries, especially in math and science. Republicans seem to have no trouble recognizing that superior teachers should be rewarded for their special skills and subject expertise. Perhaps Obama can pull his party out of the rut where seniority in the classroom trumps skill.

Senator John McCain, the Republican nominee, stumbles in the opposite direction. He supports voucher systems that allow some parents to use public funds for private and parochial school placements. Unlike charter schools, which are public, voucher systems attack the roots of education funding for public schools.

Massachusetts would benefit if Governor Patrick - a strong Obama supporter - would take up the call of his party's leader. Patrick barely touched on charter schools in his recent 10-year strategic plan to improve the quality of education in Massachusetts. And he is lukewarm, at best, on the subject of merit pay for teachers. Obama isn't satisfied with a second-rate-education system. His supporters should be just as demanding.