No one would ever think of creating new medical protocols without input from doctors, yet we constantly try to reform education without serious input from teachers. Worse, with teachers typically marginalized, the process is often dominated by politicians who view education with one eye—and sometimes both—fixed firmly on the next election rather than on the needs of our children.
This booklet describes how education reform has been poisoned by the political process and how we can put reform back on track. Creating the kind of schools our sons and daughters need requires effective participation by all stakeholders, including teachers. Keeping the reform momentum going also requires separating it from political gamesmanship as much as possible. Without the right kind of process, we will never get the result we all want.