We don’t get it. Despite years of education reform, the United States is falling further behind, and our schoolchildren rank 19th in reading, 34th in math and 25th in science.

I have watched reform effort after reform effort fail. And today, budget crises have almost guaranteed that any marginal gains made by these efforts will be lost. We are moving in the wrong direction.

The education system in California and many other states was decimated long before today’s fiscal debacle. Gray Davis’ efforts at class-size reductions were catastrophic for public education and probably not for the reasons one may think.

Class-size reductions filled the state’s classrooms with under-prepared, under-skilled and uninspired teachers. After two years in the system, this cohort was virtually guaranteed employment for the next 40 years. We have 30 more to go.

What research tells us is that what matters most in a classroom is the kind of person standing in the front of the room. It is not the credential, it is not the tenure. It is not the class size, and it is not teaching to tests or arbitrary standards. What matters most is whether the person standing in the front of the room can teach.

I do know that Santa Barbara is blessed. Because of its location, climate and beauty, it tends to attract, hire and retain the very best teachers. Unfortunately, one doesn’t have to travel very far to find mediocrity in public education.

Two bold initiatives give me hope. In Washington, D.C., Kaya Henderson, the interim schools chancellor, continues to advance a bold plan laid out by her predecessor and mentor, Michelle Rhee. These are women to watch in the unfolding drama of education reform.

Both women understand the value of good teaching and teachers. Both understand the dangers inherent in an entrenched union. Both have the courage to challenge long-held beliefs about the way schools should be run and how instruction should be delivered.

Closer to home, the superintendent for elementary schools in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles recently announced plans to extend the school year to 200 days, effectively adding a month of instruction. As a parent in this school system, I am elated. It is the boldest and bravest move I have witnessed in the Catholic school system. Changes like this will transform education if parental complaints don’t put an end to it first.

This is the real challenge. In a world shaped by sound bites and spin, making decisions based on the best data and research available to us is elusive. Here is what the research and data tell us. More instruction time translates into higher-performing students. Better teachers translate into higher-performing students.

It is these things that should guide our decision-making and shape educational reform.

— Tim Durnin is a father, husband and writer. He can be reached at tdurnin@gmail.com for ideas, comments, discussion and criticism.