The education stories of 2015 are 2014's, continued

THE BIG education and parenting stories of 2014 are going to be even bigger in 2015. The funding issues for public schools in Pennsylvania that drove the governor's race will come to a head in January or February in Harrisburg.

Immediately after the election, I thought that Republicans would go along with a severance tax of 4 percent on the Marcellus Shale companies to partially fund Gov.-elect Tom Wolf's vision of public education. With the ouster of state Sen. Dominic Pileggi from the Republican leadership, I'm convinced that Republicans will do this only if they get something big in return.

I think education issues will also play a role in the upcoming mayor's race in Philadelphia. I think that state Sen. Anthony Williams is one of the favorites to win. I like the fact that he has been a vocal advocate of vouchers and school choice. He also has been a very engaged figure on all education issues.

However, given the toxic atmosphere in Philadelphia, will opponents be able to use these positions against him? By the way, I expect that he and most candidates will pledge to support keeping Superintendent William Hite on as the leader of Philadelphia public schools, and I think that is a wise move.

I expect that debate over the Common Core Curriculum will intensify at the local, state and national levels. In 2014, the high-water mark for the new education standards was 46 states participating. Several states have since replaced or greatly modified these standards. Watch for debates over this to increase in Pennsylvania.

On the college and university level, the issue of sexual assault will be huge in 2015. The Daily Caller website reports that the Obama administration has over 90 investigations pending against colleges for possible Title IX violations over their handling of sexual assault.

The most explosive and, I believe, ridiculous proposal is the use of the "affirmative" consent standard for sexual assault. This standard holds that individuals, usually males, commit sexual assault if they don't receive explicit prior permission for every sex act from their partner.

State Sen. Jim Beach, of South Jersey, has proposed this bizarre standard for New Jersey colleges. He is definitely in the running for a 2015 award for silly-but-dangerous legislators. Standards like this will not protect students from getting drunk and getting into sexual situations that can end up being damaging to both males and females.

I think at both the high school and college level, 2015 will see the protests provoked by Ferguson and the Garner case continue. It's good that students are actively engaged in rallying against what they see as racism and police abuse. However, these protests have often trampled on the rights of others, and I think many of the protesters view themselves as facing down racist forces in the manner of Dr. Martin Luther King.

With the release of the film "Selma" this weekend, protesters might pause and realize what truly heroic people did in facing down racist mobs and police. They might realize how much America has changed.

The feel-good education/parenting story of the year has to be the exploits of Mo'ne Davis and the Taney Dragons. Mo'ne of course was recently voted the Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year for her exploits in the Little League World Series. She has handled her fame magnificently.

I also like the fact that she has calculated that her future path to athletic success is not continuing to throw a baseball but by playing point guard at her high school with hopes of playing for the University of Connecticut and the WNBA. This shows wisdom beyond her years.

So, as always, 2015 will have a ton of continuing story lines around parenting and education issues. These issues will play out in Harrisburg, Trenton and Washington. I'll be writing about them and connecting the dots around the tax dollars they require, the political power struggles they inspire and the future they offer to the country. And, most importantly, how every education program and every education dollar should provide all children with the best education possible.