Now that we are entering the home stretch in the primaries, I wanted a deeper excavation about where the candidates stood on education. Taken from the On the Issues website:
http://www.ontheissues.org/Social/Barack_Obama_Education.htm
BARACK OBAMA: FURTHER THOUGHTS AND VOTING ON EDUCATIONAL ISSUES
We need a sense of urgency about improving education system
Q: How would you assess the American education system, how well is it doing from K to high school?
A: Well, I think it's doing very well for some. But it's not doing very well for all. So, No Child Left Behind has been false advertising. And there doesn't seem to be a sense of urgency about improving the education system. It is a sense of urgency that we've got to restore if we're going to be able to remain competitive in this new global economy. So, a couple of steps that I think we have to take. Across the board we're going to have to recruit a generation of new teachers. We're going to have to pay our teachers more, we going to have to give them more professional development, and we're also going to have to work with them rather than against them to improve standards. We've got to improve early childhood education, because that's the area where we can probably most effectively achieve the achievement gap that exists right now.
Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate Sep 13, 2007
Nationwide program to reconstruct crumbling school buildings
Q: What could you do to curb the high Hispanic dropout rate?
A: Well, keep in mind this is not just a crisis for the Hispanic community; this is a crisis for the entire country because increasingly the workforce is going to be black and brown, and if those young people are not trained, then this country will not be competitive. Closing the achievement gap involves making sure that children are prepared the day they come to school, and so working with at-risk parents & poor children to make sure that they're getting their childhood education they need is absolutely critical. I've seen crumbling school buildings & children learning in trailers because of overcrowding. We've got to have a program of school construction all across the nation. After-school programs and summer school programs can make an enormous difference in preventing dropout rates because a lot of times young people after they get out of school have no place to do their homework. And that can make an enormous difference.
Source: 2007 Democratic primary debate on Univision in Spanish Sep 9, 2007
STEP UP: summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged
Differences in learning opportunities during the summer contribute to the achievement gaps that separate struggling poor and minority students from their middle-class peers. Obama's STEP UP plan supports summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged children through partnerships between local schools and community organizations.
Obama supports increasing funding for the Head Start program for preschool children. Obama has called on states to replicate the Illinois model of Preschool for All.
Source: Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers" Aug 26, 2007
We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind
I've had a lot of discussions with teachers. And they feel betrayed and frustrated by No Child Left Behind. We shouldn't reauthorize it without changing it fundamentally. We left the money behind for No Child Left Behind, and so there are school districts all across the state and all across the country that are having a difficult time implementing No Child Left Behind.
Source: 2007 Democratic primary debate on "This Week" Aug 19, 2007
Pay "master teachers" extra, but with buy-in from teachers
Q: What about performance-based pay?
A: Teachers are extraordinarily frustrated about how their performance is assessed. And not just their own performance, but the school's performance generally. So they're teaching to the tests all the time. What I have said is that we should be able to get buy-in from teachers in terms of how to measure progress. Every teacher I think wants to succeed. And if we give them a pathway to professional development, where we're creating master teachers, they are helping with apprenticeships for young new teachers, they are involved in a variety of other activities, that are really adding value to the schools, then we should be able to give them more money for it. But we should only do it if the teachers themselves have some buy-in in terms of how they're measured. They can't be judged simply on standardized tests that don't take into account whether children are prepared before they get to school or not.
Source: 2007 Democratic primary debate on "This Week" Aug 19, 2007
Sends kids to private school; but wants good schools for all
Q: Do you send your kids to public school or private school?
A: My kids have gone to the University of Chicago Lab School, a private school, because I taught there, and it was five minutes from our house. So it was the best option for our kids. But the fact is that there are some terrific public schools in Chicago that they could be going to. The problem is, is that we don't have good schools, public schools, for all kids. A US senator can get his kid into a terrific public school. That's not the question. The question is whether or not ordinary parents, who can't work the system, are able to get their kids into a decent school, and that's what I need to fight for and will fight for as president.
Source: 2007 YouTube Democratic Primary debate, Charleston SC Jul 23, 2007
Supreme Court was wrong on school anti-integration ruling
Q: In light of the recent anti-integration Supreme Court decision, please tell us what would you do to promote an equal opportunity and integration in American public schools and how would you ensure that the courts would hand down more balanced opinions
A: The Supreme Court was wrong. These were local school districts that had voluntarily made a determination that all children would be better off if they learned together. The notion that this Supreme Court would equate that with the segregation as tasked would make Thurgood Marshall turn in his grave. Which is why I'm glad I voted against Alito & voted against Roberts. But let's remember that we also have a crisis in all our schools that have to be fixed, whether they're integrated or not. We've got to have early childhood education. We've got to fix crumbling schools. We've got to have an excellent teacher in front of every classroom. We've got to make college affordable. The Supreme Court doesn't have to order that. We can do that ourselves.
Source: 2007 NAACP Presidential Primary Forum Jul 12, 2007
Incentives to hire a million teachers over next decade
We've got to make sure that teachers are going to the schools that need them the most. We're going to lose a million teachers over the next decade because the baby-boom generation is retiring. And so it's absolutely critical for us to give them the incentives and the tools and the training that they need not only to become excellent teachers but to become excellent teachers where they're most needed.
We're going to have to put more money into after-school programs and provide the resources that are necessary. When you've got a bill called No Child Left Behind, you can't leave the money behind for No Child Left Behind. And unfortunately, that's what's been done.
The reason that we have consistently had underperformance among our children is because too many of us think it is acceptable for them not to achieve. And we have to have a mindset where we say to ourselves, every single child can learn if they're given the resources and the opportunities. And right now that's not happening.
Source: 2007 Democratic Primary Debate at Howard University Jun 28, 2007
Pay teachers more money & treat them like professionals
It's time to turn the page on education, to move past the slow decay of indifference that says some schools can't be fixed, that says some kids just can't learn. As president, I will launch a campaign to recruit and support hundreds of thousands of new teachers across the country--because the most important part of any education is the person standing in front of the classroom. It's time to treat teaching like the profession that it is. It's time to pay our teachers what they deserve. Pay them more money.
And when it comes to developing the high standards we need, it's time to stop working against our teachers and start working with them. Teachers don't go in to education to get rich. They don't go in to education because they don't believe in their children. They want their children to succeed, but we've got to give them the tools. Invest in early childhood education. Invest in our teachers and our children will succeed.
Source: Take Back America 2007 Conference Jun 19, 2007
Public school system status quo is indefensible
We know that global competition requires us to revamp our educational system, replenish our teaching corps, buckle down on math and science instruction, and rescue inner-city kids from illiteracy. Our debate seems stuck between those who want to dismantle the system and those who would defend an indefensible status quo, between those who say money makes no difference in education and those who want more money without any demonstration that it will be put to good use.
Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p. 22 Oct 1, 2006
More teacher pay in exchange for more teacher accountability
Conservatives argue that the problems in schools are caused by bureaucracies and teachers' unions; and that the only solution is to hand out vouchers. Those on the left find themselves defending an indefensible status quo, insisting that more spending will improve education.
Both assumptions are wrong. Money does matter in education. But there is no denying that the way many public schools are managed poses at least as big a problem as how well they're funded.
Our task is to identify those reforms that have the highest impact on achievement, fund them, and eliminate those programs that don't produce results. We are going to have to take the teaching profession seriously. This means paying teachers what they are worth. There is no reason why an experienced, highly qualified teacher shouldn't earn $100,000. In exchange for more money, teachers need to become more accountable for their performances, and school districts need to have greater ability to get rid of ineffective teachers.
Source: The Audacity of Hope, by Barack Obama, p.161-163 Oct 1, 2006
Guarantee affordable life-long, top-notch education
We've got a story to tell that isn't just against something but is for something. We know that we're the party of opportunity. We know that in a global economy that's more connective and more competitive that we're the party that will guarantee every American an affordable, world-class, life-long, top-notch education, from early childhood to high school--from college to on-the-job training. We know that that's what we're about.
Source: Annual 2006 Take Back America Conference Jun 14, 2006
Provide decent funding and get rid of anti-intellectualism
I try to avoid an either/or approach to solving the problems of this country. There are questions of individual responsibility and questions of societal responsibility to be dealt with. The best example is an education. I'm going to insist that we've got decent funding, enough teachers, and computers in the classroom, but unless you turn off the television set and get over a certain anti-intellectualism that I think pervades some low-income communities, our children are not going to achieve.
Source: Meet The Press, NBC News Jul 25, 2004
Address the growing achievement gap between students
Our public education system is the key to opportunity for millions of children and families. It needs to be the best in the world. Of particular concern is the growing achievement gap between middle and low-income students, which has continued to expand despite some overall national achievement gains.
Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com May 2, 2004
Will add 25,000 teachers in high-need areas
Obama will fight for full funding for Head Start and expanded pre-school, so every child starts school ready to learn.� He has proposed a national network of teaching academies to add 25,000 new teachers to high-need urban and rural schools. And, he will work to send deserving students to college through loan programs that help middle-class families instead of banks.
Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.com, ?On The Issues? May 2, 2004
Supports charter schools and private investment in schools
Principles that Obama supports on education:
Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998
Free public college for any student with B-average
Principles that Obama supports on education funding:
Fund public school education in Illinois by increasing certain state taxes and decreasing local property taxes.
Provide state-funded tuition and fees to any Illinois student who attends a public college or university as long as they maintain a B average.
Source: 1998 IL State Legislative National Political Awareness Test Jul 2, 1998
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Barack Obama on Voting Record
First Senate bill: increase Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,100
Free Up Money for Student Aid and Protect Student Borrowers:
The first bill Obama introduced in the Senate was to help make college more affordable by increasing the maximum Pell Grant from $4,050 to $5,100. As president, Obama would eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders, which will save nearly $6 billion dollars per year, and invest the savings in additional student aid.
Source: Campaign website, BarackObama.com, "Resource Flyers" Aug 26, 2007
Sponsored legislations that recruit and reward good teachers
Obama co-sponsored legislation to create a National Teaching Academy of Chicago that recruits, prepares and develops quality teachers for high-need urban school districts. He co-sponsored legislation that created the Future Teacher Corps Scholarships to provide financial aid for undergraduate & graduate students studying to become teachers. He was chief sponsor of a bill creating the Certified Teacher Retention Bonus Program that provides grants to reward high quality teachers in low performing schools.
Source: Campaign website, ObamaForIllinois.org, "On the Issues" Sep 28, 2004
Voted YES on $52M for "21st century community learning centers".
To increase appropriations for after-school programs through 21st century community learning centers. Voting YES would increase funding by $51.9 million for after school programs run by the 21st century community learning centers and would decrease funding by $51.9 million for salaries and expenses in the Department of Labor.
Reference: Amendment to Agencies Appropriations Act; Bill S Amdt 2287 to HR 3010 ; vote number 2005-279 on Oct 27, 2005
Voted YES on $5B for grants to local educational agencies.
To provide an additional $5 billion for title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Voting YES would provide:
$2.5 billion for targeting grants to local educational agencies
$2.5 billion for education finance incentive grants
Reference: Elementary and Secondary Education Amendment; Bill S Amdt 2275 to HR 3010 ; vote number 2005-269 on Oct 26, 2005
Voted YES on shifting $11B from corporate tax loopholes to education.
Vote to adopt an amendment to the Senate's 2006 Fiscal Year Budget Resolution that would adjust education funding while still reducing the deficit by $5.4 billion. A YES vote would:
Restore education program cuts slated for vocational education, adult education, GEAR UP, and TRIO.
Increase the maximum Pell Grant scholarship to $4,500 immediately.
Increases future math and science teacher student loan forgiveness to $23,000.
Pay for the education funding by closing $10.8 billion in corporate tax loopholes.
Reference: Kennedy amendment relative to education funding; Bill S AMDT 177 to S Con Res 18 ; vote number 2005-68 on Mar 17, 2005
