BLITZ KRIEG
PUBLISHING
Obama-Biden Education Agenda Posted on White House
Website
By
Donna Gundle-Krieg February 11, 2009
Note: to comment on this story or other stories about education in
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President Obama and Vice
President Biden have posted their education agenda on the White House
website.
It sounds great, but I wonder
who is going to pay for it all?
.To start with, the plan
envisions more education for those under age five. This includes voluntary,
universal pre-school, “Early Learning Challenge Grants,” increased funding
for Head Start, and affordable,
high-quality child care for working families.
My personal favorite is the
American Opportunity Tax Credit. This
universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a
college education is completely free for most Americans.It will cover
two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university,
and make community college tuition completely free for most students.
Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community
service.
The vision also lists support
for college outreach programs for low income families, and streamlines the
college financial aid application.
Obama and Biden also want to
reform No Child Left Behind, address the dropout crises, make Math and
Science a national priority, and support
transitional bilingual education.
New teacher service
scholarships would be given in exchange for individuals agreeing to teach
for at least four years in a high-need field or location. There would be
mentoring programs for teachers, as well as new ways to reward them.
Obama and Biden would require
all schools of education to be accredited.
It’s encouraging that they want
to double funding for the Federal Charter
School Program, supporting
high quality schools and closing
low performing charter schools. Hmmm. Do they also plan to close low
performing non-charter public schools?
Finally, Obama and Biden say
that they will work to ensure the academic success of students with
disabilities by increasing funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Act.
I wonder if Obama and Biden
considered
the recommendations recently presented to them by top educators.
The White House
Agenda on Education
as
posted on the White
House website
President Obama and Vice
President Biden believe that our kids and our country can’t afford four more
years of neglect and indifference. At this defining moment in our history,
America faces few more urgent challenges than preparing our children to
compete in a global economy. The decisions our leaders make about education
in the coming years will shape our future for generations to come. Obama and
Biden are committed to meeting this challenge with the leadership and
judgment that has been sorely lacking for the last eight years. Their vision
for a 21st century education begins with demanding more reform and
accountability, coupled with the resources needed to carry out that reform;
asking parents to take responsibility for their children’s success; and
recruiting, retaining, and rewarding an army of new teachers to fill new
successful schools that prepare our children for success in college and the
workforce. The Obama-Biden plan will restore the promise of America’s public
education, and ensure that American children again lead the world in
achievement, creativity and success.
Early
Childhood Education
-
Zero to Five Plan:
The Obama-Biden comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical
support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood
education plans, the Obama-Biden plan places key emphasis at early care
and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to
enter kindergarten. Obama and Biden will create Early Learning Challenge
Grants to promote state Zero to Five efforts and help states move toward
voluntary, universal pre-school.
-
Expand Early Head Start and
Head Start: Obama and Biden will quadruple
Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and improve quality for
both.
-
Provide affordable,
High-Quality Child Care: Obama and Biden
will also increase access to affordable and high-quality child care to
ease the burden on working families.
K-12
-
Reform No Child Left Behind:
Obama and Biden will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama
and Biden believe teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year
preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. They will
improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure
readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a
timely, individualized manner. Obama and Biden will also improve NCLB's
accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need
improvement, rather than punishing them.
-
Support High-Quality Schools
and Close Low-Performing Charter Schools:
Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the Federal Charter
School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools.
The Obama-Biden administration will provide this expanded charter school
funding only to states that improve accountability for charter schools,
allow for interventions in struggling charter schools and have a clear
process for closing down chronically underperforming charter schools.
Obama and Biden will also prioritize supporting states that help the most
successful charter schools to expand to serve more students.
-
Make Math and Science
Education a National Priority: Obama and
Biden will recruit math and science degree graduates to the teaching
profession and will support efforts to help these teachers learn from
professionals in the field. They will also work to ensure that all
children have access to a strong science curriculum at all grade levels.
-
Address the Dropout Crisis:
Obama and Biden will address the dropout crisis by passing legislation to
provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies
in middle school -- strategies such as personal academic plans, teaching
teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math
instruction, and extended learning time.
-
Expand High-Quality
Afterschool Opportunities: Obama and Biden
will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs,
the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more
children.
-
Support College Outreach
Programs: Obama and Biden support outreach
programs like GEAR UP, TRIO and Upward Bound to encourage more young
people from low-income families to consider and prepare for college.
-
Support College Credit
Initiatives: Barack Obama and Joe Biden
will create a national "Make College A Reality" initiative that has a bold
goal to increase students taking AP or college-level classes nationwide 50
percent by 2016, and will build on Obama's bipartisan proposal in the U.S.
Senate to provide grants for students seeking college level credit at
community colleges if their school does not provide those resources.
-
Support English Language
Learners: Obama and Biden support
transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient
students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these
students complete school.
-
Recruit Teachers:
Obama and Biden will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will
cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher
education, including high-quality alternative programs for mid-career
recruits in exchange for teaching for at least four years in a high-need
field or location.
-
Prepare Teachers:
Obama and Biden will require all schools of education to be accredited.
Obama and Biden will also create a voluntary national performance
assessment so we can be sure that every new educator is trained and ready
to walk into the classroom and start teaching effectively. Obama and Biden
will also create Teacher Residency Programs that will supply 30,000
exceptionally well-prepared recruits to high-need schools.
-
Retain Teachers:
To support our teachers, the Obama-Biden plan will expand mentoring
programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. They will also
provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can
collaborate to share best practices.
-
Reward Teachers:
Obama and Biden will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher
pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them. Districts will
be able to design programs that reward with a salary increase accomplished
educators who serve as a mentors to new teachers. Districts can reward
teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities.
And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be
valued and rewarded as well.
Higher
Education
-
Create the American
Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama and Biden
will make college affordable for all Americans by creating a new American
Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will
ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for
most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the
average public college or university and make community college tuition
completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be
required to conduct 100 hours of community service.
-
Simplify the Application
Process for Financial Aid: Obama and Biden
will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current
federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by
checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be
used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.
Students with
Disabilities
Obama and Biden will work to
ensure the academic success of students with disabilities by increasing
funding and effectively enforcing the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act, and by holding schools accountable for providing students
with disabilities the services and supports they need to reach their
potential. Obama and Biden will also support Early Intervention services for
infants and toddlers, and will work to improve college opportunities for
high school graduates with disabilities. |
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Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg:
Education in the United States
Education in Michigan
Books With Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg
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