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Obama’s Education Reforms: He Listens to Both Sides
By Donna Gundle-Krieg March 12, 2009
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The public education system continues to brace itself, as this week President Obama called for sweeping education reforms.
According to the New York Times, Obama urged “teachers, parents and students to embrace a renewed commitment to learning from grade school through adulthood.”
Some of his ideas are a surprise to me since they involve a committed Democrat standing up to the powerful teachers’ unions.
For example, Obama supports vouchers, and urged lifting the ban on charter schools, which may cause public schools to lose students since parents will have more options. See Obama Supports Vouchers! and ‘Charter Schools Work’ says the Education Department.
Obama also supports merit pay for teachers, which is in opposition to the teachers’ union’s wishes. For more information on this, see Should Schools Implement Merit Pay for Teachers?
The next statement scares me, though: “It is time to give all Americans a complete and competitive education from the cradle up through a career,” Mr. Obama said.
He also said that schools should extend the traditional school day as well as the school calendar.
Personally, I don’t want the government educating me or my children “from cradle through career.” We don’t live in China!!!
While Voluntary Universal Day Care sounds good, how long will before it becomes mandatory?
I do agree with the president’s goal of the United States having the highest proportion of college graduates in the world by 2020. See “How Will Obama’s Stimulus Plan Affect College Students?”
No one can disagree that Obama values education, as portrayed in A Beautiful Letter He Wrote to His Daughters.
However, some of us are skeptical about the amount of taxpayer money that he will designate to our struggling public school system.
For many more details about Obama’s Stimulus Plan and how it affects education, see:
Obama-Biden Education Agenda Posted on White House Website
Obama’s Stimulus Plan: 100 Billion Education Dollars
Schools Will Receive $44 Billion Stimulus Dollars in 30-45 Days
Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg:
Education in the United States
Books With Stories by Donna Gundle-Krieg
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