Romanoff keeps up call for education reform

Not too long ago, I wrote a diary at SquareState that mentioned Democratic House Speaker Andrew Romanoff's support for some of the ideas that came out of the The New Commission on the Skills of the American Workforce. In his newsletter this afternoon, Romanoff kept up the call for education reform:

"Tough Choices or Tough Times" presents a sharp critique of America's economic competitiveness and a bold plan for education reform. States - like ours - that want to succeed in the international marketplace should welcome this report and seriously consider its recommendations... [T]he 2006 report recommends a package of reforms, including universal early childhood education, dramatic increases in teacher compensation, a set of qualifying exams to exit high school, performance contracts for teacher-run schools, and lifelong learning accounts (a "G.I. Bill for our times").

The report also recommended a more controversial idea: Handing public schools over to independent contractors, operating under contracts managed by local school districts.