It isn’t every day that implementing a series of common sense reforms to fix our schools can also infuse our cash-strapped state with hundreds of millions federal dollars. President Obama’s “Race to the Top” initiative, however, presents our state with a unique opportunity to not only transform our antiquated public education system for the 21st century, but also to have it paid for by the federal government.

The Race to the Top reforms being presented in SB 1 represent an almost textbook definition of the term “win win,” and our legislature must not squander this opportunity.

As parents examine the package of reforms being proposed, they will likely be shocked to find these sensible policies do not already exist in California. SB 1 would pave the way for Districts to reward their best teachers, making sure they can stay in the classroom where they are desperately needed. It would promote the use of student achievement data as a factor when evaluating teachers, so we can finally know which teachers are producing the biggest student gains.

It would mandate drastic changes at our state’s lowest performing schools – far too many of which are right here in Los Angeles – so that a status quo where 50% of LAUSD students don’t even graduate from high school is no longer tolerated for generations. And it would – for the first time in the history of American public education – give parents direct power to transform their own neighborhood schools rooted in what’s good for kids, not grown-ups.

These common sense reforms are all crucial aspects of the “kids-first” education agenda that President Obama has embraced. The past few months have witnessed thousands of parents standing up and saying enough is enough. They are demanding that we fix our schools – not in 5, 10, or 20 years -- but now. We can’t wait for pilot programs and half measures – we need change, and we need it now.

The Parent Revolution stands for a simple yet sadly radical idea: That every decision about our schools should be made based on what is best for our children.  These reforms will move us towards that goal, and are an important step in building a public education system that works for the 21st century. We stand with parents and bipartisan leaders from across our state in demanding the legislature pass this crucial legislation.