Moses Lake School District

Education Research

What Works in Education (And Why)

We know how to make education better—because we've already done it. Let's learn from our successes and stop repeating our failures.

The Good News: Some Programs Actually Work!

Not every education reform fails. Washington State has created genuinely successful programs that save students time and money, provide real value, and enjoy bipartisan support. The key? They were tested before being mandated, teachers supported them, and families had choices.

Success Story #1: Running Start

✅ How Running Start Succeeded

Created by: Washington State Legislature (1990)

The Vision: Let high school juniors and seniors take college courses for free, earning both high school and college credit simultaneously.

How They Did It Right:

  1. Tested first as pilot (1992-93 school year)
  2. Voluntary participation - Students and families chose it
  3. Clear value - Free college credits, save time and money
  4. Teacher support - College professors already doing this
  5. Measured results - Tracked success and adjusted
  6. Expanded based on success - Full launch 1993, still optional
  7. Kept improving - Responded to feedback, expanded access

Results After 30+ Years:

  • 26,000+ students participate annually statewide
  • 56% enrollment increase over past decade
  • Washington ranks 4th nationally for dual-enrolled students earning degrees
  • Students save thousands in tuition and years of time
  • University of Washington enrolled 1,840 Running Start students (Fall 2025)
  • Still growing because families WANT it, not because it's mandated

Why It Works:

  • ✅ Student choice - Opt-in, not forced
  • ✅ Immediate value - Real college credits now, not promised benefits later
  • ✅ No cost to families - State pays tuition
  • ✅ Flexibility - Full-time or part-time, mix with high school
  • ✅ Real college experience - Not watered down or pretend
  • ✅ Partnership model - High schools and colleges collaborate
  • ✅ Bipartisan support - Everyone agrees it works

The Running Start Lesson: When you give students and families a genuine choice, provide clear value, test before mandating, and let the program prove itself—it succeeds and grows naturally. No force required.

Success Story #2: Career & Technical Education (CTE)

✅ How CTE Programs Succeed

Origins: Smith-Hughes Act (1917), modernized by Carl D. Perkins Acts

The Vision: Provide hands-on career training integrated with academic coursework, leading to industry certifications and real jobs.

How They Did It Right:

  1. Local innovation first - Districts tried programs matching local jobs
  2. Teacher-led program design - Educators shaped curriculum
  3. Business partnerships - Industry provided equipment, internships, hiring
  4. Student choice in pathways - Pick career interests, not one-size-fits-all
  5. Measured outcomes - Graduation rates, job placement, certifications
  6. Federal funding for what worked - Support proven programs
  7. Continuous improvement - Programs evolve with job market

Results:

  • High graduation rates for CTE students
  • Industry certifications that lead to real jobs
  • Students enter workforce with actual skills
  • Business partners invest in training and hiring
  • Multiple pathways to success (not just 4-year college)
  • CTE courses can count for math/science credits ("two-for-one" in Washington)

Why It Works:

  • ✅ Practical value - Real job skills, not theory
  • ✅ Local flexibility - Programs match community needs
  • ✅ Industry partnership - Businesses invest in success
  • ✅ Student choice - Pick pathway that fits goals
  • ✅ Teacher expertise - Often have industry experience
  • ✅ Immediate results - Jobs and certifications upon graduation
  • ✅ Bipartisan support - Conservatives and liberals both support it

The CTE Lesson: When teachers design programs with business partners, students choose paths that interest them, and outcomes are measured by real jobs—programs succeed. Local knowledge beats top-down mandates.

The Pattern of Success

Running Start and CTE aren't accidents. They succeeded because they followed a proven process:

The 7-Step Success Formula

  1. ASK TEACHERS FIRST - "What's working? What's not? What do you need?"
  2. Respect existing expertise - Teachers already invested years learning proven methods
  3. Pilot with volunteers - Test new ideas with teachers who WANT to try them
  4. Measure results honestly - Does the new way actually work better?
  5. Train thoroughly IF it works - Only after proof, provide complete training
  6. Keep it optional - Even good ideas shouldn't be forced on everyone
  7. Support, don't mandate - Fund what works, don't punish what's proven

Why Teacher Input Matters Most

Moses Lake teachers have invested years and thousands of dollars learning proven methods. They have classroom libraries, lesson plans refined over decades, and track records of student success.

When mandates ignore teacher expertise:

  • Teachers forced to abandon methods they KNOW work
  • Years of professional development wasted
  • Classroom materials become "wrong" overnight
  • Teachers blamed when mandated programs fail
  • Students become guinea pigs for untested theories
  • Taxpayers pay for failures instead of success

Better approach: Ask Moses Lake teachers FIRST. If they say a new program won't work here, listen to them. They're the experts who know your children.

Compare: What Fails (And Why)

Not every education reform succeeds. Some follow the exact opposite pattern—and produce opposite results.

❌ How Common Core Failed

What It Was: New math and English standards adopted statewide in 2010 (HB 1450)

How They Did It Wrong:

  1. NO pilot in Washington - Mandated for entire state immediately
  2. NO teacher input - Bill Gates Foundation funded advocacy ($147.9M nationally)
  3. Rushed passage - "Midnight bill" with 20-page amendment nobody read
  4. NO training first - Teachers expected to implement untrained
  5. Mandatory for all - Implement it or lose federal funding
  6. Ignored feedback - Teachers said it wasn't working, mandate continued
  7. Never reversed - Quietly "revising" 15 years later, no apology

Results After 15 Years:

  • 4th grade math scores: DOWN 3 points (2009-2024)
  • 8th grade math scores: DOWN 9 points (2009-2024)
  • Teachers frustrated, parents confused
  • Students struggled with multiple methods vs. mastery
  • OSPI now "revising" standards (tacit admission of failure)
  • Nobody held accountable for 15 years of decline

What Teachers Said (That Nobody Listened To):

  • "Standard algorithms work—why change them?"
  • "Multiple strategies confuse students who need one clear method"
  • "This contradicts how I was trained to teach math"
  • "Can we at least pilot this first?"
  • "Give us proper training before mandating it"

The Missed Opportunity:

If Washington had ASKED Moses Lake math teachers: "Would you like to pilot Common Core with your advanced class? Let's compare results to traditional methods." Teachers would have discovered the problems BEFORE statewide implementation. Students wouldn't have lost 15 years. Taxpayers wouldn't have paid for a failure.

❌ How Sex Ed Mandate Failed

What It Was: SB 5395 (2020) mandating comprehensive sex education K-12 statewide

How They Did It Wrong:

  1. NO local pilots - One curriculum for entire state
  2. Ignored local values - Moses Lake legislators voted NO, overridden by Seattle
  3. NO teacher input - Elementary teachers forced to teach health topics
  4. Mandatory implementation - No community choice
  5. Promised outcomes - "Will reduce STDs and teen pregnancy"
  6. Opposite results - STDs INCREASED after implementation
  7. No accountability - Program continues despite failure

Results After Implementation:

  • Chlamydia: UP 13%
  • Gonorrhea: UP 50%
  • Syphilis: UP 235%
  • Teen pregnancy was ALREADY declining before mandate
  • Moses Lake community values ignored
  • Teachers uncomfortable forced to teach content

Your Legislators Voted NO:

  • Senator Judy Warnick - NO on SB 5395
  • Representative Tom Dent - NO on SB 5395
  • They represented Moses Lake values - Seattle overrode them

The Missed Opportunity:

If Washington had piloted this program in communities that WANTED it, measured results honestly, and kept it optional for districts with different values—Moses Lake could have chosen a program that fit local needs. Your legislators' NO votes would have mattered. Teachers wouldn't be forced to teach content they're uncomfortable with.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Process Step ✅ Successful Programs
(Running Start, CTE)		 ❌ Failed Mandates
(Common Core, Sex Ed)
Teacher Input Asked teachers first, respected expertise Ignored teacher concerns, mandated anyway
Testing Piloted first, measured results No pilots, skipped testing phase
Training Thorough training before launch Mandate first, scramble to train later
Choice Voluntary participation, opt-in Mandatory for all, no choice
Local Control Flexibility for local needs One-size-fits-all statewide
Evidence Based on proven methods Based on promises and theory
Accountability Measured real outcomes Ignored negative results
When It Fails Adjust or discontinue quickly Continue for years, never admit failure
Results Growing participation, bipartisan support Declining outcomes, quietly revised

The lesson is clear: Test first, mandate never (or at least much later). Listen to teachers. Give families choices. Measure results honestly. Reverse failures quickly. Support what works.

A Better Way Forward for Moses Lake

Moses Lake has excellent teachers, successful programs, and students who deserve the best. We don't need more top-down mandates from Seattle or Washington DC. We need more local control, more respect for teacher expertise, and more focus on what actually works.

What Moses Lake Can Do

1. Support Local Teacher Innovation

  • Let Moses Lake teachers try new approaches that fit our students
  • Measure results locally before expanding
  • Share success stories with other districts
  • Celebrate teacher-led improvements

2. Demand Pilot Programs Before State Mandates

  • Test in diverse communities (urban, suburban, rural) before statewide rollout
  • Require thorough teacher training BEFORE any mandate
  • Measure outcomes honestly, not just promises
  • Give pilots time to work (3-5 years minimum)

3. Restore Local Control

  • Moses Lake School Board should choose programs that fit our community
  • Parents should have meaningful opt-out rights
  • State legislators should represent constituents, not Seattle interests
  • Federal mandates shouldn't override local values

4. Hold Programs Accountable

  • If a program isn't working after fair trial (3-5 years), STOP using it
  • Reverse failed mandates, don't just quietly revise them
  • Redirect money from failures to proven successes
  • Admit mistakes, apologize to teachers and families, learn from failures

5. Expand What Already Works

  • Running Start: Increase access, add more college partners
  • CTE Programs: Fund programs matching Moses Lake jobs
  • Local successes: Identify and replicate what Moses Lake does well
  • Teacher innovations: Support and scale teacher-led improvements

The Bottom Line

We know how to make education better because we've already done it.

Running Start saves students time and money. CTE prepares students for real jobs. Both succeeded because they followed the formula: test first, train teachers, give families choices, measure results, and let success speak for itself.

Common Core and sex ed mandates failed because they did the opposite: mandate first, ignore teachers, force on everyone, promise results without evidence, and never reverse course even when outcomes decline.

Moses Lake teachers, students, and families deserve better. Support what works. Fix what doesn't. Listen to teachers. Trust local knowledge. Give families choices. Measure results honestly. And when something fails—admit it, reverse it, and move on to what actually helps kids learn.

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