Some consider Checker Finn to be the Obi-Wan Kenobi of education reform. He is the master, wise one, and main influencer of thought for so many who populate education reform efforts today (and one of these authors in particular). Recently in these pages, the wise one authored a piece entitled “Education reform is a bipartisan endeavor.” While it’s uncomfortable, this time we find ourselves in slight disagreement with Finn.
We say “slight” disagreement because we wholeheartedly agree with the view that education should be an American value—not owned by one party or another—and that we must have a generally agreed upon philosophy regarding the purpose of our education system. As a country, we need a rich vision for public education that ensures every young person develops the knowledge, skills, and character that enable their individual success and our success as a society.
Where we possibly disagree is whether “bipartisanship” is a goal in and of itself when attempting education policy. It is true that if bipartisanship is possible, whether in education policy or any issue, it is the preferred result. All policy is better when it is developed gaining a broad base of support across the political spectrum. And we believe this was the process our founders envisioned—a give-and-take negotiation, often involving compromise by all parties, that ultimately achieves the support of a broad majority. A process that always attempts to maximize the number of Americans who benefit from any particular policy implementation, and that contemplates those who may not benefit and those who might even be harmed.
Historically, bipartisanship was highly regarded, symbolizing a commendable compromise and a collective victory—particularly in the education sector. We still view it as desirable. We understand, however, that the current political climate often interprets bipartisanship as weakness, a capitulation to opposing views. As a result, the political incentives for bipartisanship have been largely lost—and bipartisanship is now elusive, if not impossible. While we remain hopeful for a shift back to a more positive perception of bipartisan efforts, the present reality of the political landscape necessitates a different approach.
In a recent paper for the Aspen Institute, we introduce the notion of “cross-partisanship” as a potential strategy for today’s education advocates to consider.
In our analysis of state policy, we observed many initiatives that received support from a wide range of political actors. But these were not necessarily “bipartisan” efforts in the traditional sense. Instead, they could be termed “cross-partisan,” which we intend to denote modern political collaboration—policy success in spite of wide political backing, not because of it.
Advocates aiming for cross-partisan support will need to strategize on engaging policymakers by appealing to their primary political interests—and their core base of political support.
Factors in building cross-partisan support
As part of a larger body of work focused on rebuilding a broad base of support in education, we conducted focus groups and individual interviews with education leaders and looked across the state legislative landscape over the past couple of years. We found several themes and shared factors among successful policy initiatives. They didn’t guarantee success in all cases, but they seemed necessary, if not sufficient: Without them, efforts were much less likely to succeed. Following is a brief synopsis of the five factors that we identified (which we unpack more thoroughly in the aforementioned Aspen paper).
- Problems and solutions are easy to communicate. Policy initiatives must be easy to communicate if they’re to result in a broad base of support. The success of policies like those grounded in the science of reading demonstrates the power of simplicity and relatability in communication.
- Policy changes are responsive to local context. It has been famously said that all politics is local. Policy solutions tailored to specific local problems can often transcend political polarization.
- Political cover is present. When a change in policy is new, or potentially controversial, it helps for there to be “political cover”—support by a higher political power, voting bloc, or higher order policy imperative (an existing law or an unexpected event that demands action, such as a pandemic or recession).
- Both sides get their win. It’s important to acknowledge that, in politics, everyone is trying to achieve a win for their side. A key to cross-partisan success is finding a path for each side to claim that win.
- Strategic use of media. It is undeniable that the media are powerful in shaping public policy. Some might argue that it is more useful in impeding progress rather than accelerating it. A fair point. But its potential as a force of good should not be underestimated.
When one or more of these factors is present—and of course the more the better—it allows for success within the political incentive structure we currently have, not the one we wish we had.
These instances of support exemplify what we now describe as “cross-partisan,” denoting support that transcends traditional partisan boundaries but emerges from people with differing political philosophies. The hallmark of cross-partisanship is that the “why” animating the support can be vastly different for various members of the coalition, which is to say they’re not pursuing identical interests but the initiative serves multiple interests.
Adopting a cross-partisan approach may be the new strategic imperative for success in education policy—imperative not just for a legislative win, but for the long-term well-being and prosperity of our children and communities. Examples from various states illustrate that, despite deep-seated political divides, it is possible to make meaningful improvements in education that “cross over” the political divide.
Different political actors may need to take different roads to the ultimate destination of a common-ground solution. Let’s not get hung up on the road traveled and focus instead on the destination reached. The success of all of our students, and our country, depends on it.
