For generations, Democrats have been the party of education, advocating for working families and the promise of upward mobility. But today, we’re losing ground on an issue that has long been our stronghold. Nationally, Republicans are now more trusted on education — a dramatic reversal from just a decade ago.
Why? Voters see a party that talks about education but fails to deliver on its core promise: student learning.
Listen to the audio edition here:
Here in Pennsylvania, Democrats have a chance to change that — but not with incrementalism. Not with the same talking points or the same debates about inputs such as dollars spent. The moment demands a new governing framework and a bold recommitment to outcomes.
The Abundance Agenda offers that path. It challenges the progressive status quo and calls for outcome-focused, future-oriented governance that produces rather than merely regulates.
Nowhere is an abundance mindset more urgently needed than in K-12 education. Our public education system is stagnating. We spend nearly $1 trillion annually, yet only a third of students can read or do math at grade level. In major cities, entire schools report zero students proficient in math. The gap between our aspirations and our outcomes has become a credibility crisis. And for working-class families — those we claim to champion — the crisis is most acute.
Parents don’t care whether a school is district-run, chartered, or private. They care whether their child is learning, growing and thriving.
Democrats must become the party of education once again, and PA can be ground zero for our party’s turnaround. The Keystone State is uniquely positioned as a purple state with a Democratic governor who is hyper-focused on results and unafraid to do things differently. This is a moment to boldly reimagine our system of schools, to GSD in education, and to lead the way for our national party.
Abundance taps into the American spirit of ingenuity (innovation), reorients our focus from inputs to outcomes (accountability), and embraces both government and market-driven forces to align incentives (choice). These three pillars — innovation, accountability, and choice — aren’t standalone policies. Each reinforces the others, forming a dynamic, self-correcting system that improves over time.
- Innovation means unleashing new school models and education technologies that address the diversity of student needs and family circumstances. The U.S. education system was built for a 20th-century economy — 100 years later, it looks remarkably the same. Today’s students need radically different tools, environments and approaches, such as those provided by charter schools, learning pods, microschools, AI-powered tutors and career academies. Democrats should lead in developing and scaling these new and different models rather than stubbornly funding more of the same. But innovation alone is not enough — it must occur within a system designed to scale what works and discard what doesn’t.
- Accountability means funding what works, not what fails. For too long, our systems have rewarded inputs — spending levels, staff ratios, compliance reports — without asking the most important question: Are students learning? We need metrics that matter, systems that self-correct, and leadership that makes tough calls when outcomes fall short. In a systems-thinking framework, accountability is not about punishment; it’s about feedback loops that drive improvement. Without real feedback, innovation stalls and choice becomes hollow.
- Choice means giving families the power to select the best educational fit for their children — not just the school assigned by their zip code. Republicans have dominated this conversation, but Democrats can lead by reshaping it. We should support high-performing charter and magnet schools. We should explore thoughtful scholarship and tax credit programs that expand access for low-income families. And we should ensure every option — public or private — is held to high standards.
This is not a call to abandon public education. It is a call to reimagine it. Parents don’t care whether a school is district-run, chartered, or private. They care whether their child is learning, growing and thriving. A modern Democratic education vision must be quality-focused and governance-neutral.
PA has an opportunity to show how Democrats can govern differently. Governor Josh Shapiro has already shown a commitment to focusing on outcomes rather than ideology. PA is making historic investments in education — but history shows that more funding is not enough. We must rethink how systems serve students more effectively, including through scholarship programs that empower families and push all systems to improve.
The path forward isn’t about choosing sides. It’s about building systems that evolve, adapt and improve. Our schools are recovering from pandemic learning loss. Our workforce is changing faster than our classrooms. We can’t afford another lost decade.
Democrats have always believed that education can transform lives. That belief remains true — but it must be updated for a new era. The Abundance Agenda shows us how: deliver, not just defend; experiment, not entrench; lead, not react.
In Pennsylvania and across the country, it’s time to stop settling for a century of sameness — and build education systems that adapt, improve and succeed.
Jorge Elorza is CEO of Democrats for Education Reform. This piece is based on his eight-page report, “A Democratic Framework for An Abundance Education Agenda.”
The Citizen welcomes guest commentary from community members who represent that it is their own work and their own opinion based on true facts that they know firsthand.
MORE SOLUTIONS FOR BETTER PUBLIC EDUCATION
