Education Reform from the Roots Up?

Amid speculation about who will be the next secretary of education, recent efforts by the Obama transition team to solicit public feedback on health care reform suggest future opportunities for educators to voice their policy concerns.

In addition to the transition team's use of online videos and blog posts to invite public comments on health care issues, former Senator Tom Daschle, who yesterday was officially nominated by President-elect Obama to be the next secretary of health and human services, has pledged to coordinate "thousands of health care discussions in homes across the country...where ordinary Americans can share their ideas about what's broken and how to fix it." Anyone interested in leading a discussion can sign up to receive a moderator's kit at Change.gov.

A recent Washington Post article suggests the health care outreach by Daschle and the transition team may be the beginning of a wider effort to gather public feedback on a range of issues in traditional forums, such as town hall meetings, as well as in cyberspace. If this is a preview of what's to come, will you be ready to speak for education?

What will you say if the next secretary of education asks you what's broken and how to fix it so that all students can succeed in school? What would be your top priority or concern?