A recent alliance between Newt Gingrich, Rev. Al Sharpton and President Obama has turned a lot of heads. It is significant – historically so – that leaders with vastly disparate views on, well, everything have been able to come to a consensus on education reform.

President Obama’s message for educators and administrators, and the establishment, is becoming very clear: open the way for Charter school expansion. Pay teachers as if they’re producing a precious commodity, based on performance not years on the job. Foster innovation and measure success. The time to rest comfortably in the sacrosanct field of education is over. Changes will be made.

He’s not only pushing against the status quo, he’s also pushing against the Democratic party’s longtime stance. The message that’s even bigger than the specific reforms that Gingrich will join him in advancing is that the education of our children is too important to stall out over party differences. It’s a rallying cry to both parties to make these reforms a reality and an ever-present aspect of US education: there is literally nothing standing in the way of members of both parties crafting and enacting these vital reforms.

“I strongly believe that when you can find common ground, we should be able to put other differences aside to achieve a common goal,” Gingrich said.

The next question we have is what we can do in Missouri to show that we heard the call and we’re acting on it.