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Like many others, members of the New York Times editorial board hope stimulus funds for education will promote sound economic reform even as they forestall economic ruin. Fair enough. But let's make sure that, in our haste, we don't opt for superficial reforms that don't properly address longstanding systemic problems.

The way the Times describes one essential target of reform--the inequitable distribution of effective teachers--gives me pause. According to this morning's opinion page:

Under the [American Recovery and Reinvestment Act] guidelines, states could get two-thirds of the money in the first round--in some cases as much as 90 percent--merely by making "assurances" that they will change destructive policies, like shunting the least-qualified teachers into schools serving the poorest and most ill-prepared children. [Emphasis added]

They've used this language before. A February 3rd opinion piece urged the adoption of stimulus measures that "force the states to end the shameful practice of shunting the least qualified teachers into schools that serve the neediest students." [Emphasis added].  

Unequal access to the most effective educators is indeed shameful. Yet the Times leaves the impression that this inequity results entirely from a few monstrous policies cooked up by depraved state policy makers. Yes, bad state, district and even school policies contribute to the problem. But labor market conditions, teachers' predispositions and terrible teaching conditions in some schools share the blame. No quick and easy policy change will change that fact. We cannot simply deploy excellent teachers like troops to all schools that need them most.

The urgent problem of teacher distribution requires a systemic solution. A few years back, the Learning First Alliance  created a framework for staffing high-poverty, low-performing schools. The framework urges action to improve policy coherence, working conditions, teacher preparation, professional support, school leadership, incentives, hiring and placement practices and funding policies.

The work cannot happen piecemeal, and it cannot happen over night. Stimulus funding can give it a critical push, but we underestimate the complexity of this work at our own peril.