Parent News

Norm Silbugh, Instructional Facilitator

Twin Spruce Junior High

Jan., 2009 ; Volume 1, Issue 3

Barack Obama on Education

from http://www.education.com/magazine/article/Barack_Obama/

Americans voted in Barack Hussein Obama as president of the United States in an election weighted down with the harsh realities of a down-turning economy and two costly wars. Now that the dust is beginning to settle, many Americans are wondering what the new president will do to improve their children's education.

Throughout his campaign, Barack Obama has said he plans to take a fresh, objective look at the age-old debate over education issues. “A truly historic commitment to education – a real commitment will require new resources and new reforms,” Obama says. “It will require a willingness to break free from the same debates that Washington has been engaged in for decades – Democrat versus Republican; vouchers versus the status quo; more money versus more accountability. And most of all, it will take a President who is honest about the challenges we face – who doesn’t just tell everyone what they want to hear, but what they need to hear.” Where does Obama stand specifically on the most pressing education issues?

Here’s our cheat sheet on education according to Obama:

Standardized Testing

Standardized testing is stuck in the crossfire in the debate over accountability, and Obama has stepped up to take aim. He says that too often standardized tests fail to provide valuable or timely feedback. Meanwhile, “creativity has been drained from classrooms, as too many teachers are forced to teach to fill-in-the-bubble tests,” Obama says. He doesn’t go so far as to say he’ll drop testing completely; it should be one of the “tools that we use to make sure our children are learning. It just can’t dominate the curriculum to an extent where we are pushing aside those things that will actually allow children to improve and accurately assess the quality of the teaching that is taking place in the classroom.” How does he plan to revamp testing? “I will provide funds for states to implement a broader range of assessments that can evaluate higher-order skills, including students’ abilities to use technology, conduct research, engage in scientific investigation, solve problems, present and defend their ideas,” says Obama.

School Choice

Obama says his focus is on providing good schools for all kids, and that's why he does not support vouchers that allow parents to use public school money for private school. “We need to invest in our public schools and strengthen them, not drain their fiscal support,” he says. “In the end, vouchers would reduce the options available to children in need. I fear these children would truly be left behind in a private market system.” Obama is more open to charter schools working within the public school system, calling them “important innovators” which improve healthy competition among public schools. However, Obama says there need to be strong accountability measures in place.

No Child Left Behind

Obama's catch phrase for this topic is, “No Child Left Behind left the money behind,” meaning that unfulfilled funding promises have limited the program's effectiveness in improving public education. He says while the goals of No Child Left Behind are right, the way they’ve been implemented is wrong: there needs to be better assessment and a greater effort to ensure that every child has a successful teacher. “Particularly at a time when our nation is facing a shortage in teachers due to retirement and retention problems, it is important to ensure that we can attract, support, and retain high-quality teachers,” he says. How does Obama propose we do this? By experimenting with alternative preparation, mentoring and professional development programs, in addition to providing fresh incentives for serving high-need schools. Specifically, he plans to provide funding for 200 new Teacher Residency Programs, an idea he introduced in the Senate last year. In these programs, individuals completing coursework for teacher certification could serve as apprentices in the classrooms of veteran teachers, as long as they pledged at least three years of service in the sponsoring district.

College Funding and Affordability

America lags behind many nations in the world when it comes to making college affordable. How does Obama plan to get us caught up with the rest of the world? The solution, he says, lies in his 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,” he says. “And by making the tax credit fully refundable, my credit will help low-income families that need it the most.” Obama says he also plans to free up more money for aid by using public instead of privately funded loan providers.

Universal Preschool

The first step in closing the achievement gap is to make sure that children are prepared when they start school, according to Obama. And that, he says, means providing funding for voluntary, universal preschool programs. “Research shows that early experiences shape whether a child's brain develops strong skills for future learning, behavior and success. Without a strong base on which to build, children, particularly disadvantaged children, will be behind long before they reach kindergarten,” he says, adding that investing in early learning makes economic sense, as it can reduce the need for costly services, such as special education.

Improvements to Science, Math and Technology Education

Obama says he wants to make math and science education a national priority, noting that 80 percent of the fastest growing occupations are dependent upon a knowledge base in science and math, yet studies show American students do not graduate with the skills needed for these fields. Obama’s plan to align supply and demand is three-fold:

* Recruit High Quality Math and Science Teachers: “Obama 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,” his plan states online.

* Focus on Science Instruction: As part of his plan to double investment in early education, Obama wants to research the development of science, math and technology curriculum. He also wants to ensure that curriculum is accessible for all grade levels. His campaign states, “Barack Obama will work with governors to create flexible and workable systems for the states to achieve the goal of ensuring all children have access to strong science curriculum at all grade levels. Obama will also support state efforts to make science education a priority at the pre-K level.”

* Test Skills, not Facts: The way students are tested in the areas of math and science needs to be changed, Obama says, adding that he is committed to working with governors and educators to test “inquiry and higher order thinking skills including inference, logic, data analysis and interpretation, forming questions, and communication.”

Merit Pay

One of Obama’s main crusades in the education arena is increasing teacher salaries. “I don’t want to just talk about how great teachers are, I want to reward them for their greatness when I’m President,” he says. And, despite the fact that many teachers unions are opposed to it, he has suggested doing this through a type of pay for performance system, or merit pay. Most merit pay systems reward teachers for their students’ performance on standardized tests. In Obama’s system, teachers would be rewarded if they:

* Serve districts as mentors to new teachers.

* Teach in underserved areas or take on added responsibility.

* Learn new skills to serve students better.

* Consistently excel in the classroom.

Obama has tallied the expenses for his education plan at a cool $18 billion. Wondering where he’ll get the money? According to his campaign web site, he plans to delay a NASA project for five years, auction surplus federal property, close tax loopholes for executives, and use “a small portion of the savings associated with fighting the war in Iraq,” among other sources.

This is all part and parcel of Obama’s “historic commitment” to education. The president-elect will need to address many challenging issues, education chief among them, when he steps into office next January. Whether Americans will see Obama's education platform promises become realties, only time will tell.

Obama’s Transition website: Education

http://change.gov/agenda/education_agenda/