As the discussion continues over whether teachers are underpaid or not in America, I thought I would dig a little deeper and investigate what teachers make in foreign countries to provide this issue with some more depth. According to economist.com, these are the countries that pay their teachers more on average than the United States (if the US is considered 0%):
Turkey (+154%)
South Korea (+134%)
Germany (+60%)
Japan (+56%)
Switzerland (+49%)
Scotland (+48%)
Spain (+36%)
England (+32%)
Austrailia (+30%)
Italy (+11%)
France (+3%)
Sweden pays their teachers about the same as the United States, and there are only two countries (Iceland -15% & Norway -16%) where teachers are paid less than here on American soil. If we want to look into it further, and according to a study done at Drake University in 2006, the countries that have a better high school graduation (or equivalent) rate than the United States are (consider the US had a 78% high school graduation rate in 2006):
Turkey (97%)
South Korea (95%)
Germany (95%)
Japan (95%)
Switzerland (91%)
Scotland(90%)
Spain (89%)
England (88%)
Austrailia (88%)
Italy (82%)
Iceland (79%)
The similarities are eerie between the two lists. France is the only country that pays their teachers more but has a lower graduation rate (although this should not come as too big of a surprise seeing as France only pays their teachers 3% more than we pay our own; and to be fair, France's graduation rate is only slightly below ours). So basically, if you're to set up an X / Y axis graph where one variable represents teacher wage, and the other variable represents graduation rate, you could make the argument that they correlate with one another and the higher the wage, the better the graduation rate. If you just look at the numbers, on average, 8 out of every 10 American high school students will graduate, where nearly a perfect 10 out of 10 will graduate in Turkey. This may not seem like a big difference, but when you apply it to a large population, it can have a devastating effect. Another factor to be taken into account is that Turkey has a much smaller population than the United States (as do many of the countries on the above lists), but the population size really shouldn't matter that much. There is still enough people in each demographic to gain accurate and comparable results. One factor that cannot be quantified or represented by numbers or graphs which may play a significant role in the outcome of these numbers are the cultural factors. Every society and culture has different attitudes towards how they raise their children and in what ways they choose to live their lives. I would argue this point in favor of the data above. It is clear in the societies that value education more (the countries that pay their teachers more) that their people are finding success and knowledge on a more consistent basis (higher graduation rates). Hopefully this sheds some light on the issue of teacher pay and how we view education in America.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Friday, March 21, 2008
Clinton and education
The following information was obtained through education.com. Next up in my look through the candidates and their viewpoints on various aspects of education is Hillary Clinton. Education.com spoke with Catherine Brown, one of Clinton's policy advisors to discuss the following issues related to education.
HILLARY CLINTON
In General
2008 promises to be a cutthroat year when it comes to Democratic politics, and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is having to cling tight to stay on top. But despite lots of talk about the economy, the war in Iraq, and pulling out “the race card”, few of the candidates have spent much time discussing an issue that’s at the forefront of most parents’ minds: education.
Standardized Testing
Say goodbye to the bubble test. While Clinton “supports having an accountable education system,” Brown says she wants to give school districts more flexibility in how they measure success. And since bubble tests can’t test critical thinking and problem solving abilities, Clinton “would like to provide states with the flexibility to use performance assessments, such as class projects and presentations, aligned with state standards,” Brown says. Clinton is also committed to making sure that standardized tests don't force schools to focus solely on math and reading, to the detriment of other subject areas. “She wants to ensure that art, music, and other programs continue to be a rich part of children’s educational experiences,” Brown says.
School Choice
Charter schools, magnet schools, school vouchers…where does Clinton stand? According to Brown, “Hillary supports public school choice, as well as charter schools, and has for many years. But she is a strong advocate for public schools.” In other words, she’s for choice within the public school system, but not for vouchers that allow parents to use public money for private school education. “Research thus far has not shown that children who attend private schools through voucher programs do better on math and reading tests than their counterparts in public schools,” Brown says. Translation: Clinton doesn’t want to drain precious resources from the public school pot.
No Child Left Behind
Goodbye to NCLB? Likely. “Hillary believes No Child Left Behind has proven to be too rigid and unworkable for our teachers, principals, and most importantly for our children. She thinks it’s time to end this one-size-fits-all approach to education reform, and start a new beginning that prepares every child to succeed in our global economy,” Brown says. When asked how she’ll make sure schools are successful and accountable, without NCLB forcing their hand, Clinton’s campaign office points to a few key ideas:
-More funding for schools. One of the main problems with NCLB, they contend, was that schools weren’t given enough money to make it successful.
-State standards that move kids towards an ultimate goal—college. Clinton says standards should be directly aligned with college-prep needs.
-Improved efforts to recruit and retain outstanding teachers, especially in urban and under-resourced areas.
-More after school programs, “that keep young people safe in the riskier hours of the day”.
-Multiple pathways to graduation and mentoring for at-risk youth, in order to lesson the high school dropout rate.
College Funding and Affordability
Many other countries seriously subsidize the cost of college. Could America be next? Well, maybe. Clinton wants to give a $3,500 tuition tax credit to all families with a kid in college. Sure, $3,500 might not cover the full cost of most universities, but according to the Clinton campaign, it’s more than 50% of the cost of tuition at the average public institution. Clinton says she will also increase Pell Grants. When the Pell Grant was first introduced it covered 99% of the cost of a two-year college, 77% at a four-year public school, and 36% at a private school—now it doesn’t even come close. Clinton wants to make sure that each year the Pell is adjusted to take rising college costs into account. And she wants to do good for do-gooders, by giving Americorps members, who do 1-2 years of full-time public service, $10,000 to put towards college. She also wants to start a Public Service Academy, which her campaign says will be “like the West Point of public service”.
Other key points of Clinton's college affordability plan:
-Improve college graduation rates by creating a $250 million graduation fund.
-Strengthen community colleges with $500 million in incentive grants, and make transferring to a 4-year institution easier.
-Eliminate the need to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. Instead, allow families to check a box on their tax return requesting financial aid. Upon checking that box, they will receive a letter from the Department of Education with a coupon showing the amount of grants and loans they’re entitled to. Schools can reach out directly to the Department of Education to collect the funds.
-Force schools to provide Truth in Tuition Disclosures—in other words, require them to tell families in advance how much college will cost from Freshman year onwards.
Universal Preschool
Should preschool be free for all children? Clinton says yes. In fact, universal pre-K is one of her cornerstone educational issues. According to Nobel Laureate and University of Chicago Economics Professor James Heckman, half of the black-white achievement gap that exists at the end of high school is evident before children start kindergarten. But state-funded pre-K still only serves one out of every five 4-year-olds in America. Clinton wants every kid in the country to have access to free preschool in the year before kindergarten and she’s proposed $10 billion in spending to make it happen. Her program would be “a federal-state partnership”, according to the Clinton campaign. In other words, while the Feds will provide some money, states need to match it dollar-for-dollar. They also need to follow some rules. For example, all teachers hired must have a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood development. Programs need to maintain a low teacher-student ratio. And the program has to be offered to all kids in the state, free of charge. Once states hit those benchmarks, they get to have some flexibility in how they use their funds, but not before that. Why the push for universal pre-K? Clinton contends, “Children who attend pre-kindergarten are less likely to enroll in special education; they are less likely to drop out of high school. They are more likely to go on and graduate from college. They are less likely to be unemployed, and they are less likely to go on welfare… If you put in a dollar in early childhood, you are going to get at least seven dollars back. Imagine if you could buy a stock with that kind of return.”
All this educational spending won’t come cheap. “Obviously we are spending more than half a trillion dollars on the Iraq war and when we finally end that, we are going to have to start getting ourselves out of deficit,” Clinton says, “But we need at the same time to make some investment that will keep our country strong.” Education, says Clinton, is a place to start.
Alright, so my impressions are: Clinton wants to get rid of standardized testing in favor of allowing teachers and schools more freedom to evaluate their students based on projects and presentations. I'm very in favor of this move, but perhaps Clinton should also think about training teachers to evaluate efficiently while earning their licensure so the system can still show tangible progress. Clinton encourages school of choice, but her main focus is on getting rid of the 'No Child Left Behind' Act. While there is A LOT of upside to this, Clinton needs to be careful to keep the good aspects of the NCLB Act (such as: every teacher candidate needs to have a Bachelor's degree and certified licensure - which she has proposed if NCLB is eliminated). Clinton also wants to help alleviate the financial burden for college and she beleives pre-K education is a neccessity to the better future of our country. Overall, Clinton seems to have a very detailed plan on how to improve our education system and the steps of those plans are very realistic. She is by far the best candidate of the four in regards to the issues revolving around education. If you care about the education of our country and the teachers who run that system, vote for Hillary.
HILLARY CLINTON
In General
2008 promises to be a cutthroat year when it comes to Democratic politics, and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is having to cling tight to stay on top. But despite lots of talk about the economy, the war in Iraq, and pulling out “the race card”, few of the candidates have spent much time discussing an issue that’s at the forefront of most parents’ minds: education.
Standardized Testing
Say goodbye to the bubble test. While Clinton “supports having an accountable education system,” Brown says she wants to give school districts more flexibility in how they measure success. And since bubble tests can’t test critical thinking and problem solving abilities, Clinton “would like to provide states with the flexibility to use performance assessments, such as class projects and presentations, aligned with state standards,” Brown says. Clinton is also committed to making sure that standardized tests don't force schools to focus solely on math and reading, to the detriment of other subject areas. “She wants to ensure that art, music, and other programs continue to be a rich part of children’s educational experiences,” Brown says.
School Choice
Charter schools, magnet schools, school vouchers…where does Clinton stand? According to Brown, “Hillary supports public school choice, as well as charter schools, and has for many years. But she is a strong advocate for public schools.” In other words, she’s for choice within the public school system, but not for vouchers that allow parents to use public money for private school education. “Research thus far has not shown that children who attend private schools through voucher programs do better on math and reading tests than their counterparts in public schools,” Brown says. Translation: Clinton doesn’t want to drain precious resources from the public school pot.
No Child Left Behind
Goodbye to NCLB? Likely. “Hillary believes No Child Left Behind has proven to be too rigid and unworkable for our teachers, principals, and most importantly for our children. She thinks it’s time to end this one-size-fits-all approach to education reform, and start a new beginning that prepares every child to succeed in our global economy,” Brown says. When asked how she’ll make sure schools are successful and accountable, without NCLB forcing their hand, Clinton’s campaign office points to a few key ideas:
-More funding for schools. One of the main problems with NCLB, they contend, was that schools weren’t given enough money to make it successful.
-State standards that move kids towards an ultimate goal—college. Clinton says standards should be directly aligned with college-prep needs.
-Improved efforts to recruit and retain outstanding teachers, especially in urban and under-resourced areas.
-More after school programs, “that keep young people safe in the riskier hours of the day”.
-Multiple pathways to graduation and mentoring for at-risk youth, in order to lesson the high school dropout rate.
College Funding and Affordability
Many other countries seriously subsidize the cost of college. Could America be next? Well, maybe. Clinton wants to give a $3,500 tuition tax credit to all families with a kid in college. Sure, $3,500 might not cover the full cost of most universities, but according to the Clinton campaign, it’s more than 50% of the cost of tuition at the average public institution. Clinton says she will also increase Pell Grants. When the Pell Grant was first introduced it covered 99% of the cost of a two-year college, 77% at a four-year public school, and 36% at a private school—now it doesn’t even come close. Clinton wants to make sure that each year the Pell is adjusted to take rising college costs into account. And she wants to do good for do-gooders, by giving Americorps members, who do 1-2 years of full-time public service, $10,000 to put towards college. She also wants to start a Public Service Academy, which her campaign says will be “like the West Point of public service”.
Other key points of Clinton's college affordability plan:
-Improve college graduation rates by creating a $250 million graduation fund.
-Strengthen community colleges with $500 million in incentive grants, and make transferring to a 4-year institution easier.
-Eliminate the need to fill out the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) form. Instead, allow families to check a box on their tax return requesting financial aid. Upon checking that box, they will receive a letter from the Department of Education with a coupon showing the amount of grants and loans they’re entitled to. Schools can reach out directly to the Department of Education to collect the funds.
-Force schools to provide Truth in Tuition Disclosures—in other words, require them to tell families in advance how much college will cost from Freshman year onwards.
Universal Preschool
Should preschool be free for all children? Clinton says yes. In fact, universal pre-K is one of her cornerstone educational issues. According to Nobel Laureate and University of Chicago Economics Professor James Heckman, half of the black-white achievement gap that exists at the end of high school is evident before children start kindergarten. But state-funded pre-K still only serves one out of every five 4-year-olds in America. Clinton wants every kid in the country to have access to free preschool in the year before kindergarten and she’s proposed $10 billion in spending to make it happen. Her program would be “a federal-state partnership”, according to the Clinton campaign. In other words, while the Feds will provide some money, states need to match it dollar-for-dollar. They also need to follow some rules. For example, all teachers hired must have a bachelor’s degree and specialized training in early childhood development. Programs need to maintain a low teacher-student ratio. And the program has to be offered to all kids in the state, free of charge. Once states hit those benchmarks, they get to have some flexibility in how they use their funds, but not before that. Why the push for universal pre-K? Clinton contends, “Children who attend pre-kindergarten are less likely to enroll in special education; they are less likely to drop out of high school. They are more likely to go on and graduate from college. They are less likely to be unemployed, and they are less likely to go on welfare… If you put in a dollar in early childhood, you are going to get at least seven dollars back. Imagine if you could buy a stock with that kind of return.”
All this educational spending won’t come cheap. “Obviously we are spending more than half a trillion dollars on the Iraq war and when we finally end that, we are going to have to start getting ourselves out of deficit,” Clinton says, “But we need at the same time to make some investment that will keep our country strong.” Education, says Clinton, is a place to start.
Alright, so my impressions are: Clinton wants to get rid of standardized testing in favor of allowing teachers and schools more freedom to evaluate their students based on projects and presentations. I'm very in favor of this move, but perhaps Clinton should also think about training teachers to evaluate efficiently while earning their licensure so the system can still show tangible progress. Clinton encourages school of choice, but her main focus is on getting rid of the 'No Child Left Behind' Act. While there is A LOT of upside to this, Clinton needs to be careful to keep the good aspects of the NCLB Act (such as: every teacher candidate needs to have a Bachelor's degree and certified licensure - which she has proposed if NCLB is eliminated). Clinton also wants to help alleviate the financial burden for college and she beleives pre-K education is a neccessity to the better future of our country. Overall, Clinton seems to have a very detailed plan on how to improve our education system and the steps of those plans are very realistic. She is by far the best candidate of the four in regards to the issues revolving around education. If you care about the education of our country and the teachers who run that system, vote for Hillary.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
McCain and education
The following information was obtained through education.com. Next up in my look through the candidates and their viewpoints on various aspects of education is John McCain. Education.com spoke with McCain's domestic policy advisor, Doug Holtz-Eakin about these issues.
JOHN MCCAIN
In General
His main focus is on choice and competition, which he says will bring about genuine accountability for our schools. McCain says schools should be allowed to compete for the most effective teachers, and if schools fail to meet needs parents should be given the choice to send kids to another school.
Standardized Testing
When it comes to improving the education system, McCain says accountability is the name of the game. “We must continue to set standards and hold schools accountable for their performance,” McCain says. Holtz-Eakin says the kind of accountability testing implemented through No Child Left Behind offers a good start. “We should never shrink from the truth, or seek to soften accountability where schools are failing in their most basic responsibility. Where schools fail to meet Annual Yearly Progress, they have failed students, parents and communities,” he says.
School Choice
McCain says that he and his wife decided to send their children to parochial school, and now he wants to make sure that all parents can have the same freedom. “I believe parents should be empowered with their school choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them just as many members of Congress do with their own children. I find it beyond hypocritical that many of those who would refuse to allow public school parents to choose their child's school would never agree to force their own children into a school that did not work or was unsafe. They make another choice. That is a right we should honor for all parents. It is fundamental and essential." Holtz-Eakin says that's why McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to schools of demonstrated excellence, including charter schools, parochial schools and home schools. “The deplorable status of preparation for our children, particularly in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world, does not allow us the luxury of eliminating options in our educational repertoire,” Holtz-Eakin says. McCain supports vouchers as a way of giving parents more options and encouraging healthy competition for public schools.
No Child Left Behind
This bill has received a lot of flack from both parties, but while McCain acknowledges that changes should be made, he says “improve it, don't discard it.” According to Holtz-Eakin, “No Child Left Behind has focused our attention on the realities of how students perform against a common standard. We no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for others. In this age of honest reporting, we finally see what is happening to students who were previously invisible. That is a progress all its own, but merely compels us to seek and find solutions to the dismal facts before us.” So how does McCain plan on improving NCLB? Holtz-Eakin says the law needs to start addressing the underlying cultural problems in our education system, instead of avoiding genuine accountability. Instead, he says McCain wants to empower parents “by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. All federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools.”
College Funding and Affordability
While McCain believes the federal government plays an important role in college funding, he also believes grants and loans should be targeted towards those with genuine need, according to Holtz-Eakin. “Moreover, it is imperative that the federal government be good stewards of this money, operating programs without waste, favoritism or loss of integrity,” Holtz-Eakin says.
Universal Preschool
Holtz-Eakin says it's clear that too many children aren't prepared for school when they arrive on the first day. “These children start school at a disadvantage and slip further and further behind with every passing year,” he says. “Research has shown that the best return on investment of our education dollar is in early childhood development.” McCain plans to better prepare American kids for school by reforming Head Start “into a program that serves the essential need of America’s children to be prepared to learn when they enter school,” says Holtz-Eakin.
McCain says that American education “must be worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves—the freedom and opportunity to chase our dreams.” Whether voters line up behind McCain's dream is the question of the hour—only they will be able to determine the path of American education in the 21 st century.
Alright, so my impressions are: McCain doesn't think 'No Child Left Behind' is a bad thing, he just thinks it needs some tweaking which is too bad because 'No Child Left Behind' is in fact a broken law that doesn't benefit students or teachers. McCain feels school of choice freedom will solve everything and this is really pretty ignorant to a lot of the issues that are happening right now in education. He doesn't have a plan to fix the college funding situation, and he thinks standardized testing is a good thing which to any teacher, this is a huge negative on McCain's resume regarding education. Standardized testing is the primary reason why 'No Child Left Behind' gets so much criticism. There are actually good elements to NCLB, but standardized testing is not one of them. Overall, McCain is a terrible candidate based on his educational views and if you vote for him, know that you go against the interests of every teacher in the United States of America and every child who is enrolled in a public school.
JOHN MCCAIN
In General
His main focus is on choice and competition, which he says will bring about genuine accountability for our schools. McCain says schools should be allowed to compete for the most effective teachers, and if schools fail to meet needs parents should be given the choice to send kids to another school.
Standardized Testing
When it comes to improving the education system, McCain says accountability is the name of the game. “We must continue to set standards and hold schools accountable for their performance,” McCain says. Holtz-Eakin says the kind of accountability testing implemented through No Child Left Behind offers a good start. “We should never shrink from the truth, or seek to soften accountability where schools are failing in their most basic responsibility. Where schools fail to meet Annual Yearly Progress, they have failed students, parents and communities,” he says.
School Choice
McCain says that he and his wife decided to send their children to parochial school, and now he wants to make sure that all parents can have the same freedom. “I believe parents should be empowered with their school choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them just as many members of Congress do with their own children. I find it beyond hypocritical that many of those who would refuse to allow public school parents to choose their child's school would never agree to force their own children into a school that did not work or was unsafe. They make another choice. That is a right we should honor for all parents. It is fundamental and essential." Holtz-Eakin says that's why McCain will fight for the ability of all students to have access to schools of demonstrated excellence, including charter schools, parochial schools and home schools. “The deplorable status of preparation for our children, particularly in comparison with the rest of the industrialized world, does not allow us the luxury of eliminating options in our educational repertoire,” Holtz-Eakin says. McCain supports vouchers as a way of giving parents more options and encouraging healthy competition for public schools.
No Child Left Behind
This bill has received a lot of flack from both parties, but while McCain acknowledges that changes should be made, he says “improve it, don't discard it.” According to Holtz-Eakin, “No Child Left Behind has focused our attention on the realities of how students perform against a common standard. We no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for others. In this age of honest reporting, we finally see what is happening to students who were previously invisible. That is a progress all its own, but merely compels us to seek and find solutions to the dismal facts before us.” So how does McCain plan on improving NCLB? Holtz-Eakin says the law needs to start addressing the underlying cultural problems in our education system, instead of avoiding genuine accountability. Instead, he says McCain wants to empower parents “by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. All federal financial support must be predicated on providing parents the ability to move their children, and the dollars associated with them, from failing schools.”
College Funding and Affordability
While McCain believes the federal government plays an important role in college funding, he also believes grants and loans should be targeted towards those with genuine need, according to Holtz-Eakin. “Moreover, it is imperative that the federal government be good stewards of this money, operating programs without waste, favoritism or loss of integrity,” Holtz-Eakin says.
Universal Preschool
Holtz-Eakin says it's clear that too many children aren't prepared for school when they arrive on the first day. “These children start school at a disadvantage and slip further and further behind with every passing year,” he says. “Research has shown that the best return on investment of our education dollar is in early childhood development.” McCain plans to better prepare American kids for school by reforming Head Start “into a program that serves the essential need of America’s children to be prepared to learn when they enter school,” says Holtz-Eakin.
McCain says that American education “must be worthy of the promise we make to our children and ourselves—the freedom and opportunity to chase our dreams.” Whether voters line up behind McCain's dream is the question of the hour—only they will be able to determine the path of American education in the 21 st century.
Alright, so my impressions are: McCain doesn't think 'No Child Left Behind' is a bad thing, he just thinks it needs some tweaking which is too bad because 'No Child Left Behind' is in fact a broken law that doesn't benefit students or teachers. McCain feels school of choice freedom will solve everything and this is really pretty ignorant to a lot of the issues that are happening right now in education. He doesn't have a plan to fix the college funding situation, and he thinks standardized testing is a good thing which to any teacher, this is a huge negative on McCain's resume regarding education. Standardized testing is the primary reason why 'No Child Left Behind' gets so much criticism. There are actually good elements to NCLB, but standardized testing is not one of them. Overall, McCain is a terrible candidate based on his educational views and if you vote for him, know that you go against the interests of every teacher in the United States of America and every child who is enrolled in a public school.
Obama and education
The following information was obtained through education.com. Next up in my look through the candidates and their viewpoints on various aspects of education is Barack Obama.
BARACK OBAMA
In General Senator Obama recently announced an $18 billion plan to enhance early childhood education, improve the dropout prevention rate and provide teacher incentives. Obama has tried to use his comparative inexperience with Washington politics to his benefit, promising 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? Let's take a look:
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. While we do need some form of assessment, he says those tests should be measuring what is valuable for students to learn. “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."
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 needs 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 that the design of the law is also flawed; 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 making 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.
Obama says his education plans reflect a desire to “give every American child the chance to receive the best education America has to offer – from the moment they’re born to the day they graduate college.” And he says he would put the full resources of the federal government behind this plan. The big question for all the candidates is whether their plans can become realties, and, no matter how many bullet points they lay down or speeches they make, the answer ultimately lies in the hands of voters.
Alright, so my impressions are: Obama has good ideas in regards to fixing standardized testing and what standardized testing means, college affordability, and how the 'No Child Left Behind' Act really isn't doing much, but he really doesn't have any realistic means to bring change about (especially for a candidate whose campaign slogan promises change). He skirts the issues of school of choice and universal preschool, giving a lot of information that is pretty unrelated. Overall, I would say Obama is a victim of exactly what is doesn't want to be: a candidate who says the things that sound best to Americans. If he had realistic plans to back up some of his ideas, he may be worth a vote.
BARACK OBAMA
In General Senator Obama recently announced an $18 billion plan to enhance early childhood education, improve the dropout prevention rate and provide teacher incentives. Obama has tried to use his comparative inexperience with Washington politics to his benefit, promising 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? Let's take a look:
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. While we do need some form of assessment, he says those tests should be measuring what is valuable for students to learn. “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."
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 needs 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 that the design of the law is also flawed; 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 making 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.
Obama says his education plans reflect a desire to “give every American child the chance to receive the best education America has to offer – from the moment they’re born to the day they graduate college.” And he says he would put the full resources of the federal government behind this plan. The big question for all the candidates is whether their plans can become realties, and, no matter how many bullet points they lay down or speeches they make, the answer ultimately lies in the hands of voters.
Alright, so my impressions are: Obama has good ideas in regards to fixing standardized testing and what standardized testing means, college affordability, and how the 'No Child Left Behind' Act really isn't doing much, but he really doesn't have any realistic means to bring change about (especially for a candidate whose campaign slogan promises change). He skirts the issues of school of choice and universal preschool, giving a lot of information that is pretty unrelated. Overall, I would say Obama is a victim of exactly what is doesn't want to be: a candidate who says the things that sound best to Americans. If he had realistic plans to back up some of his ideas, he may be worth a vote.
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Huckabee and Education
Over the course of the next week or two, I'll be sharing some information in regards to Mike Huckabee, Barrack Obama, John McCain, and Hillary Clinton which should shed some light onto their educational viewpoints and what they believe is the best course of action to take in the future of education. The following information was obtained through education.com. I'll start with Mike Huckabee, although it appears McCain will eventually be on the ticket come November. Education.com apoke with Alice Stewart, Huckabee's campaign press secretary about these issues:
MIKE HUCKABEE
In General
Huckabee's ideas about education reform include a focus on the value of arts education, as well as creating a personalized learning path for every student to focus on their interests –ideas that neither Democrats nor Republicans are broaching.
Standardized Testing
One of the hot-button issues of today's education debate is that of standardized testing, which aims to assess the overall performance of schools as well as that of individual students. While Huckabee supports testing, he says that it should be used in conjunction with a variety of other approaches to assessment. “Governor Huckabee believes that testing should be an important component, but not the only way we assess a student's progress,” says Stewart. “We know that students learn in a variety of ways, and No Child Left Behind must recognize multiple measures, including portfolios, oral presentations, experiential demonstrations, and other methods of demonstrating competence.”
School Choice
Where does Huckabee stand in the ongoing debate about charter schools, homeschooling, and school vouchers? He gives the green light for all three, but believes that “Vouchers should be decided by the states, not the federal government,” says Stewart. She adds that Huckabee thinks vouchers are good for failing urban schools, but may be more problematic in rural areas where alternative school choices are not within easy commuting range.
No Child Left Behind
Although Huckabee supports the accountability measures that NCLB represents, which prevent students from “falling through the cracks,” he thinks that the program needs some adjustment. Specifically, he says that NCLB does not take into account schools with high percentages of ESL and special needs students, and he stresses his commitment to staying true to art and music requirements in schools. “I believe passionately that music and the arts play a critical role in our school curriculum,” Huckabee says. Stewart underscores his point, saying that “Raising reading and math scores must not come at the expense of other elements of a well-rounded education, and NCLB must insist that schools not get away with teaching to the test.”
College Funding and Affordability
For the next generation of voters, college costs are a major concern. So what's Huckabee's plan? According to Stewart, “Governer Huckabee believes we should encourage scholarships and offer low-interest-rate or interest-free loans to students majoring in a variety of vital fields. We should recruit for science, math, and engineering, as we do for sports.” In other words, students focusing on important areas such as math, science, and engineering should get a leg up. “We should also offer forgiveness of student loans or tuition for post-graduate study to those who will teach in under-performing schools or do other national service,” adds Stewart.
Universal Preschool
As for expanding universal preschool education on a federal level, Huckabee maintains that individual states, and not the government at large, should resolve the issue themselves. “Education is best handled at a state level,” Stewart says.
But while Huckabee says that “the whole role of education is a state issue –it's not really a federal issue,” he does suggest that government has a part in the process: “I think the federal government can play a pivotal role primarily in helping to make sure that the best practices that are working in the states are shared with states who are struggling,” he says. An individualized approach, both at the level of schools and students, is his educational agenda, Stewart says. For students, Huckabee wants to see a “personalized learning” plan for each student, especially at the high school level. Stewart says that “each student will have a personalized learning plan ... where the student is the lead author based on his interests, passions, and dreams.”Says Huckabee: “If we really are serious then first of all we make sure that we build a curriculum around their interests rather than just push them into something that they don't care about.”
Alright, so my impressions are: He supports standardized testing (which sucks), believes No Child Left Behind is a good thing (boo, hiss) but believes it needs to be changed to take ESLs and special needs students into account (there's something good), he thinks student loans should have low interest or no interest depending on field (good that he thinks this, but will he do anything about it? Probably not), and (as I highlighted above) he thinks education is a state issue, not a federal issue (...what? Don't dump it on the state politicians, they'll dump it right back on you). Overall, I would say Huckabee is a poor candidate to vote for in regards to education.
MIKE HUCKABEE
In General
Huckabee's ideas about education reform include a focus on the value of arts education, as well as creating a personalized learning path for every student to focus on their interests –ideas that neither Democrats nor Republicans are broaching.
Standardized Testing
One of the hot-button issues of today's education debate is that of standardized testing, which aims to assess the overall performance of schools as well as that of individual students. While Huckabee supports testing, he says that it should be used in conjunction with a variety of other approaches to assessment. “Governor Huckabee believes that testing should be an important component, but not the only way we assess a student's progress,” says Stewart. “We know that students learn in a variety of ways, and No Child Left Behind must recognize multiple measures, including portfolios, oral presentations, experiential demonstrations, and other methods of demonstrating competence.”
School Choice
Where does Huckabee stand in the ongoing debate about charter schools, homeschooling, and school vouchers? He gives the green light for all three, but believes that “Vouchers should be decided by the states, not the federal government,” says Stewart. She adds that Huckabee thinks vouchers are good for failing urban schools, but may be more problematic in rural areas where alternative school choices are not within easy commuting range.
No Child Left Behind
Although Huckabee supports the accountability measures that NCLB represents, which prevent students from “falling through the cracks,” he thinks that the program needs some adjustment. Specifically, he says that NCLB does not take into account schools with high percentages of ESL and special needs students, and he stresses his commitment to staying true to art and music requirements in schools. “I believe passionately that music and the arts play a critical role in our school curriculum,” Huckabee says. Stewart underscores his point, saying that “Raising reading and math scores must not come at the expense of other elements of a well-rounded education, and NCLB must insist that schools not get away with teaching to the test.”
College Funding and Affordability
For the next generation of voters, college costs are a major concern. So what's Huckabee's plan? According to Stewart, “Governer Huckabee believes we should encourage scholarships and offer low-interest-rate or interest-free loans to students majoring in a variety of vital fields. We should recruit for science, math, and engineering, as we do for sports.” In other words, students focusing on important areas such as math, science, and engineering should get a leg up. “We should also offer forgiveness of student loans or tuition for post-graduate study to those who will teach in under-performing schools or do other national service,” adds Stewart.
Universal Preschool
As for expanding universal preschool education on a federal level, Huckabee maintains that individual states, and not the government at large, should resolve the issue themselves. “Education is best handled at a state level,” Stewart says.
But while Huckabee says that “the whole role of education is a state issue –it's not really a federal issue,” he does suggest that government has a part in the process: “I think the federal government can play a pivotal role primarily in helping to make sure that the best practices that are working in the states are shared with states who are struggling,” he says. An individualized approach, both at the level of schools and students, is his educational agenda, Stewart says. For students, Huckabee wants to see a “personalized learning” plan for each student, especially at the high school level. Stewart says that “each student will have a personalized learning plan ... where the student is the lead author based on his interests, passions, and dreams.”Says Huckabee: “If we really are serious then first of all we make sure that we build a curriculum around their interests rather than just push them into something that they don't care about.”
Alright, so my impressions are: He supports standardized testing (which sucks), believes No Child Left Behind is a good thing (boo, hiss) but believes it needs to be changed to take ESLs and special needs students into account (there's something good), he thinks student loans should have low interest or no interest depending on field (good that he thinks this, but will he do anything about it? Probably not), and (as I highlighted above) he thinks education is a state issue, not a federal issue (...what? Don't dump it on the state politicians, they'll dump it right back on you). Overall, I would say Huckabee is a poor candidate to vote for in regards to education.
Teaching Trade-Off 2
This past week, there's been some good discussion based off of a previous thread ('Teaching Trade-Off'), and one of the contributors (Heidi - thanks again, great perspective) brought up some very good questions. One of the questions she was unsure about was the exact reasons why educators leave the field in their first three years of experience. This intrigued me as well, so I've done a bit of research and found an interesting article which was published in the February 25th, 2008 edition of Time magazine called 'How to Make Great Teachers'. The article covers several important issues related to the field of education, but in regards to Heidi's inquiry as to why teachers usually quit so early into their career, Time magazine offers some answers. Here's some excerpts from the article:
Why do teachers bail? The biggest reason is pay. U.S. public-school teachers earn an average annual salary of less than $48,000, and they start off at an average of about $32,000. That's what Karie Gladis, 29, earned as a new teacher in Miami. She barely made it 31⁄2 years before leaving and taking a job in educational publishing. "It was stressful living from paycheck to paycheck," she says. "If my car broke down or if I needed dental work, there was just no wiggle room."
But money isn't the only reason public-school teachers quit. Ben Van Dyk, 25, left a job teaching in a high-poverty Philadelphia school after just one year to take a position at a Catholic school where his earning prospects are lower but where he has more support from mentors, more control over how he teaches and fewer problems with student discipline. Novice teachers are much more likely to call it quits if they work in schools where they feel they have little input or support.
The article also agrees that the solution to many education problems in America begins with paying teachers more money. As a part of the article, the author randomly polled 100 educators from K-12 public schools who had left their job in education within their first three years and asked why. The most frequent responses were:
1. Not enough pay
2. High stress levels
3. Lack of freedom (in curriculum and teaching methods I imagine)
4. Lack of job security
The last one kind of surprised me, but the article describes many teachers who fear for their jobs because of standardized testing and other teachers who have to take special care not to put themselves in any kind of situation where a student could get them fired (an example would be a male teacher who will not speak with a female student one-on-one after class unless they take the discussion into the hallway where others are present). Also, many teachers are laid off depending on state and government funding each year, and if you're among the youngest teachers in a school, you can bet your name is on the list. Anyway, I thought the article in Time was interesting and it related to the discussion postings in my blog 'Teaching Trade-Off'. And yes, Heidi, it's appauling to think a JC Pennies sales associate makes just as much as a starting teacher does. You suggest it shows the priorities of this country, and I agree with you. The real question is: do the powers that be in this country really want people to be educated? Sadly, I would say no because educated people pose a threat to the system.
Why do teachers bail? The biggest reason is pay. U.S. public-school teachers earn an average annual salary of less than $48,000, and they start off at an average of about $32,000. That's what Karie Gladis, 29, earned as a new teacher in Miami. She barely made it 31⁄2 years before leaving and taking a job in educational publishing. "It was stressful living from paycheck to paycheck," she says. "If my car broke down or if I needed dental work, there was just no wiggle room."
But money isn't the only reason public-school teachers quit. Ben Van Dyk, 25, left a job teaching in a high-poverty Philadelphia school after just one year to take a position at a Catholic school where his earning prospects are lower but where he has more support from mentors, more control over how he teaches and fewer problems with student discipline. Novice teachers are much more likely to call it quits if they work in schools where they feel they have little input or support.
The article also agrees that the solution to many education problems in America begins with paying teachers more money. As a part of the article, the author randomly polled 100 educators from K-12 public schools who had left their job in education within their first three years and asked why. The most frequent responses were:
1. Not enough pay
2. High stress levels
3. Lack of freedom (in curriculum and teaching methods I imagine)
4. Lack of job security
The last one kind of surprised me, but the article describes many teachers who fear for their jobs because of standardized testing and other teachers who have to take special care not to put themselves in any kind of situation where a student could get them fired (an example would be a male teacher who will not speak with a female student one-on-one after class unless they take the discussion into the hallway where others are present). Also, many teachers are laid off depending on state and government funding each year, and if you're among the youngest teachers in a school, you can bet your name is on the list. Anyway, I thought the article in Time was interesting and it related to the discussion postings in my blog 'Teaching Trade-Off'. And yes, Heidi, it's appauling to think a JC Pennies sales associate makes just as much as a starting teacher does. You suggest it shows the priorities of this country, and I agree with you. The real question is: do the powers that be in this country really want people to be educated? Sadly, I would say no because educated people pose a threat to the system.
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