Gov. Rick Scott signed off last month in Florida on House Bill 7019, dubbed the “Teacher Quality Bill,” which developed a performance based pay structure for teachers, ending “tenure-like job protections” and revamped the teacher evaluation process.

Earlier this month in New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie laid out his educational plans, taking aim at the state’s teachers union and presenting the need for evaluations based on classroom performance.

In Idaho, Gov. C.L. Otter championed more funding for technology and two bills moved through the legislature, also with the intention of instituting merit pay.

In Detroit, pink slips were sent to each of the public school district’s teachers in preparation for state reductions in funding.

And in Texas and Colorado, students are receiving punishments for protesting teacher layoffs.

No matter where you live, the state of education in America is teetering on the edge of change. And no matter who you are, education matters.

There are two distinct stories going on in the world of education today, beginning with an emerging national attitude that our students are falling behind when compared to others globally. It is becoming increasingly clear that national standards need to be reevaluated and a stronger sense of what works in the classroom — and more importantly, what doesn’t — determined.

For someone on the outside, without a child in the current school system, the world of education is a scary place of extremes.

Either you’re mired in the politics of public education — or you’re doing whatever you can to ensure your 3-year-old gets into an Ivy League preschool.

And either way, you don’t know if what they’ll know will be enough in the long run.

Though they’ve been quietly considered for years, more often and louder now, questions are being asked such as, do socioeconomic conditions really hinder a child’s ability to learn? Or, is it the teacher that’s failing? How much money does it take to educate a child? Or is it substance, not expense, that matters? And, are we really at the forefront of the future or are we really lagging behind?

The other story making headlines in education is the lack of funding for it. Michigan is not the only state with struggling school districts, but it certainly is a prime example of what’s going on across the country.

At local school board meetings it’s not very often you find a crowded room as board members discuss matters such as layoffs or budget cuts. But it’s time to see parents and concerned students fill the seats.

It’s time for standing room only.

And if it’s impossible to make it to a meeting, it is time to, at the very least, get in on the conversation.

Now, more than ever, those directly affected by education need to start learning about what awaits in the not too distant future.

So often, in stories about school budgets and the need for cuts, there’s the common saying that officials don’t want to make cuts that affect the classroom. The harsh reality is in some way, shape or form all budget cuts to education ultimately affect the classroom.

The least we can do is evaluate those cuts, ensuring as a community that we’re comfortable with them. Ensuring that at the end of the day, the children we send off to the school houses are coming out of them a little more knowledgeable than they were that morning. That is the ultimate goal.

Because years from now, they will be the ones facing the changing times.

They will be the ones facing the tough decisions.

The least we could do is lead by example.