National|Op-eds | July 16, 2017

Peterson: With growing national rancor over education, US mayors have the opportunity to lead

The education policy discourse has grown increasingly toxic in Washington, exposing deepening divides over issues ranging from K-12 funding to school choice.

This time of federal deadlock offers a new reminder that our nation’s mayors must take greater ownership of education.

Mayors have stepped out on other prominent issues recently where the federal government has balked, most notably on climate change. Now they should leverage their unique position as the leaders closest to the people to move past the partisan federal debates on education and drive change in their communities’ K-12 systems.