We seem to be always in crisis these days. Paralysis, gridlock, partisanship, and stale thinking from our political class abound. Politicians cling to their party lines with no vision for how they are actually going to get anything done.
The divisiveness that threatens to bring Washington to a halt on at least a monthly basis is destroying our system. From the fiscal cliff dispute to the sequester, which barrels into effect on Friday, both Congressional Democrats and Republicans – and most certainly, President Obama – are governing with little consideration for the American people and their needs.
What the American people need more than anything right now is agents of change to speak for them. Indeed, a new one is emerging: Kahlil Byrd, the President of StudentsFirst, has dedicated himself to transforming the way our education system runs.
It’s not Byrd’s first try at reform. A few years ago, a group of us, led by Byrd and Peter Ackerman, tried to rejuvenate our political system through Americans Elect, an organization dedicated to a simple principle: “If you change the way we nominate people for positions of leadership, then we can change the way they govern.” We sought to reimagine the nominating process by opening up new channels to elected office that focused not on party ID, but on ideas, creative solutions, and a strong vision for the future.
Though Americans Elect was unsuccessful in getting a presidential candidate on the ballot, we scored a major victory—in cooperation with Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Independence USA PAC, we helped elect Angus King from Maine to the Senate. Indeed, King’s election was a big step in the direction of getting creative – and disruptive – leaders in office.
Now, Byrd is applying the principles behind our quest for new, innovative leaders in politics to the American education landscape, as part of Michelle Rhee’s two-year-old StudentsFirst organization.
Together, Byrd and Rhee intend to apply the new wave of disruptive politics to education. As Byrd put it in a speech at the Leaders in Education Advocacy and Reform Network last weekend, “StudentsFirst acts as that strong and forceful counterweight to status quo forces that are stalling real change in education.”
Byrd and Rhee are fighting for change that comes without concern for political winners and losers. “We have all been Democrats versus Republicans for so long,” Byrd said. “Teachers versus administrators. Kids versus politicians. Now, I believe, we are entering a time when our desire to see things move forward will overwhelm the desire just to see our side win.”
Indeed, Byrd is perfectly suited to this challenge. His background in synthesizing technology, traditional and social media, and organizing – as he did for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s 2006 campaign – makes him uniquely qualified to bring together people from all backgrounds and political leanings in support of a better education system.
Coupled with the expertise that Michelle Rhee brings from her background as Chancellor for D.C. public schools, there is no reason to expect anything but success for StudentsFirst. The radical changes that Rhee brought to the DC public school system—ushering in in top-down accountability and tremendous improvement in student achievement—should be emulated nationwide.
Rhee’s goal – to make sure that laws, teachers, parents, and Washington politicians are making students their top priority – was conceived over years of experience as a teacher, administrator, and activist. Her fight to ensure that education in America is free of special interests and focused on students is emblematic of the “disruptive politics” movement—the idea that politics should be driven by consumer choice, and that the “best idea wins,” as Byrd puts it. For her part, Rhee, has a proven track record of fighting for political candidates dedicated to tilting the balance of power towards the students.
StudentsFirst is in 17 states right now, with almost 150 staffers. The organization has just donated $250,000 to candidates vying for seats on the Los Angeles Board of Education. In 2012, it helped elect more than 130 candidates in state legislatures.
If Byrd and StudentsFirst succeed, we may very well see a different world of education in America. At the minimum, the old order will be challenged to consider real change and it will be clear that whatever the outcome, the status quo no longer has a place in the education landscape.
To be sure, the path ahead will not be easy. Opposition forces will line up according to their self-interest, and StudentsFirst will be challenged to hold tight to their principles and objectives.
It follows that it is critically important to have frontline leaders like Mayor Bloomberg, Peter Ackerman, and Michelle Rhee blaze the trail—and not just in education policy. America needs the leadership of these maverick new leaders to set a new course on fiscal policy, election reform, and gun violence, among many other pressing issues. Hope for reform lies with this new cohort of emerging leaders like Kahlil Byrd.