Be careful about Republican advice to Democrats about education

Harris' education vision should be progressive, pro-teacher, and outcome focused

If Kamala Harris wants to prove her fitness for the presidency, she should commit to a few simple reforms in education.

Suspend more students. Take away their cell phones. Jail their parents when their students are absent from school. Tie teacher pay to test scores.

Also, she should distance herself from Black Lives Matter and put the national teachers’ unions in check.

I stole this advice from an article by Micheal Petrilli at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute. In that piece, Petrilli curates the sage recommendations of Josh Barro, Matt Yglesias, and Daniel Buck.

For a visual, here are Petrilli, Barro, Yglesias, and Buck (sounds like a law firm, no?).

And, in case you need it, here’s Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris.

Harris should lean to the center

Barro and Yglesias suggest Harris become a moderate.

Barro says her liability may be that “she may be seen as too politically extreme, and she can reposition herself toward the center without penalty if she is willing to do that.”

Yglesias proposes that Harris might say, “My parents moved to this country because it’s the greatest place on Earth, and I think my party and our school system need to get back to teaching kids patriotism.” Promoting nationalism in education would make her more appetizing to people who like that sort of thing.

The advice underestimates the backlash from progressives. Progressives hold their leaders accountable, perhaps to a fault, and will see any move to the center as a betrayal. Harris needs a united base. Alienating progressives could be a fatal error. While Trump has enjoyed leeway from his base, Harris operates in a political environment where ideological purity is often demanded. Democrats and progressives have historically been less forgiving of perceived shifts towards centrism, viewing them as sellouts rather than pragmatists.

The Democrats’ progressive base is in no mood for diet-Trump or Clinton-ish neoliberalism. Americans want an alternative to the ceaselessly hostile, angry, suspicious, and divisive MAGA Red Bull that has taxed our hearts.

Only Republicans would suggest the Democratic candidate be more Republican.

Education as the winning issue

Petrilli says Harris can use education to move to the center. He thinks she should call for more classroom discipline and back public charter schools. But this advice misses the mark. Education reform is a delicate matter.

Many progressive voters see increased classroom discipline as a euphemism for punitive measures that disproportionately affect marginalized students. History and data tell us that strict disciplinary policies often lead to higher suspension and expulsion rates among Black and Latino students. This exacerbates the school-to-prison pipeline and deepens the existing educational inequities. Harris, with her background as a prosecutor, must be particularly cautious here. Emphasizing punitive discipline could reinforce negative perceptions of her tenure as Attorney General and District Attorney, where she faced criticism for her tough-on-crime policies. Instead, she should advocate for restorative justice practices that address behavioral issues while keeping students engaged in their education.

Suggesting teacher merit pay is an old mistake. Pissing off America’s largest workforce is a strategy for losing. Communities of color, unions, teachers, and women drive Democratic campaigns. Losing their support would be a disaster.

Petrilli’s only point I agree with is charter schools—but not the Republican kind. There’s a push to privatize charters, turning them into publicly funded religious schools and anti-”woke” segregation academies.

Progressives should back charters that enhance public education, not fight it. Charters can be sanctuaries for bullied and marginalized students, support special needs, and be culturally affirming safe havens. Schools that grow from the communities they serve are not imposed by corporate forces.

In 2020, I suggested that President Biden look at one of the charter schools that Harris supported.

One school that might be of particular interest to you is the game-changing Five Keys charter school started in 2003 by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Department. It was the first in the nation to provide quality education inside of a county jail. Five Keys focuses on “restoring communities through education” and works with an extensive network of community-based organizations to provide “high school diplomas, career and technical education, digital literacy, ESL education, cognitive behavioral therapy, and recovery programs.”

In 2015, then California Attorney General Kamala Harris gave Five Keys an award for reducing recidivism and “doing innovative work to educate, employ and keep ex-offenders on track.” Nothing about this school or the families that benefit from it should threaten public education. 

While my positions have changed since then, I still believe these charter schools are a progressive addition to public education.

If I had Harris’ ear, I’d encourage her to cast a big fat vision: champion public education for the common good. A system that molds diverse citizens into a shared community, where kids reach their potential and gain the skills for good lives. A system that unites us rather than divides us by race, class, religion, and ideology.

She should raise hope for addressing learning loss, literacy, math, science, and overall outcomes. This vision includes traditional public schools, magnets, charters, alternative learning centers, teacher-led schools, and project-based learning—all public.

Who could oppose that?

No sudden moves

Timing is everything in politics. A poorly timed shift will make Harris look reactionary, and that could backfire. Her record as a Senator and Vice President is well-documented. She will have to answer for some of it, just as she did in 2020. Any sudden change will be scrutinized and could seem insincere. Voters value authenticity. Drastic shifts can look like pandering.

Her strategy should tackle issues that resonate with everyone. The economy, healthcare, inflation, and justice for all. Focusing narrowly on education reform as a pivot to the center misses the broader concerns of the electorate.

Repositioning Harris isn’t simple. It needs a careful, multifaceted approach. Harris must address a range of issues with a coherent narrative. Only then can she strengthen her position for the election. It’s not enough to make superficial policy changes. Harris must engage deeply with her base while crafting a vision that appeals to moderates. This balance is delicate and demands more than the strategic shifts suggested by Petrilli’s piece.