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Schools MUST Improve
In the talk, Obama . . .
“called on teachers unions, state officials and parents to end the “relative decline of American education,” which he said “is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and unacceptable for our children.”
Obama made several excellent points:
- Washington has been trapped in debates that have paralyzed progress and perpetuated our educational decline.
- He encouraged experimentation in the public school system, including proposals to extend the school day.
- He wants to eliminate limits on the number of charter schools.
- He proposes merit pay for good teachers, and eliminating bad teachers.
- He called for states to adopt uniform academic achievement standards.
- He stated he plans to expand several federal grant programs, including Pell Grants for college and Early Education programs.
Vouchers, charter schools, and merit pay were all discussed, even though there are strong detractors and proponents of each system in both parties.
While calling for rewards for good teachers, Obama said he would give all teachers a chance to excel, or leave.
“States and school districts must be “taking steps to move bad teachers out of the classroom.”
“If a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue teaching.”
“I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences.”
Some of his suggestions I agree with, and some I am vehemently opposed to. (Don explains our reasons for our views in Set Our Teachers FREE!
While most of President Obama’s comments seem fair and even-handed, it remains to be seen how well his ideas can be implemented.
With all the money being thrown at the Department of Education, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
One thing President Obama said in his talk that I think every American can agree with is . . .
“The bottom line is that no government policies will make any difference unless we also hold ourselves more accountable as parents.”
So true! So true!
Brennan
