Obama calls for action on education system, teachers

During the campaign, President Barack Obama promised to reform the education system.

Speaking at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Tuesday, Obama talked about moving beyond partisan bickering to overhaul the system.

"For decades, Washington has been trapped in the same stale debates that have paralyzed progress and perpetuated our educational decline. Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though it can make a difference in the classroom. Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its importance."

Obama said that Americans need an effective education system to compete in the world economy. He stressed the responsibility of teachers in improving education standards.

"Let me be clear: If a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue teaching," Obama said. "I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences."

FOXNews

Obama Pitches Strategy to Improve Teaching Corps, Overhaul US ...

Washington Post - ‎3 hours ago‎

President Obama says the US must improve education to stay competitive in the world economy. Obama spoke about education Tuesday at the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

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Barack Obama talks Education in Thornton, Colorado

Barack Obama talks about education at MESA campus in Thornton, Colorado, where all graduating seniors were accepted into college, May 28, 2008.

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Barack on Education

Barack Obama on Education

“I don't want to send another generation of American children to failing schools. I don't want that future for my daughters. I don't want that future for your sons. I do not want that future for America.”

— Barack Obama, Jefferson-Jackson Dinner, Des Moines, Iowa, November 10, 2007

Barack Obama's Plan

Early Childhood Education

• Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents.
  
• Expand Early Head Start and Head Start: Obama will quadruple Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding and improve quality for both.
• Affordable, High-Quality Child Care: Obama will also provide affordable and high-quality child care to ease the burden on working families.

K-12

• Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law.
  
• Make Math and Science Education a National Priority.
  
• Address the Dropout Crisis: Obama will address the dropout crisis by passing his 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 will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.
• Expand Summer Learning Opportunities: Obama's "STEP UP" plan addresses the achievement gap by supporting summer learning opportunities for disadvantaged children through partnerships between local schools and community organizations.
• Support College Outreach Programs: Obama supports 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 English Language Learners: Obama supports transitional bilingual education and will help Limited English Proficient students get ahead by holding schools accountable for making sure these students complete school.

Recruit, Prepare, Retain, and Reward America's Teachers

• Recruit Teachers: Obama 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 will require all schools of education to be accredited. He 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 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, Obama's plan will expand mentoring programs that pair experienced teachers with new recruits. He will also provide incentives to give teachers paid common planning time so they can collaborate to share best practices.
• Reward Teachers: Obama will promote new and innovative ways to increase teacher pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them.

Higher Education

• Create the American Opportunity Tax Credit: Obama 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.
  
• Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid.

For complete info on Obama's education plan visit his education issues page.

Barack Obama's Record

Record of Advocacy: Obama has been a leader on educational issues throughout his career. In the Illinois State Senate, Obama was a leader on early childhood education, helping create the state's Early Learning Council. In the U.S. Senate, Obama has been a leader in working to make college more affordable. His very first bill sought to increase the maximum Pell Grant award to $5,100. As a member of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, Obama helped pass legislation to achieve that goal in the recent improvements to the Higher Education Act. Obama has also introduced legislation to create Teacher Residency Programs and to increase federal support for summer learning opportunities.

For More Information about Barack's Plan

Read the Pre-K to 12 Plan
Read the College Affordability Plan
Speech on Pre-K to 12 Education
Speech on College Affordability

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Obama a step forward on Education

The OpenEducation.net blog explains why Barack Obama is the choice for better education in America:

At OpenEducation, we believe this innovative concept is analogous to a research and development type of approach to education. It is time that education join the world of business where research and development become a critical component of the educational landscape. The fact that Obama seeks to have home districts develop proposals in consultation with their local teachers’ unions demonstrates that he understands the importance of engaging the teacher’s union in this process.

Clinton Is Status Quo, Obama Is A Step Forward
Based on what we see, Ms. Clinton is the candidate for the status quo, one who might tweak the system yet has little to offer that would truly set a new path. Obama on the other hand, as he has campaigned, would indeed be the candidate of change, one who would seek to foster a new direction for education in America.

Obama our choice for President in 2008

Obama News for Thursday

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, who knows Iowa politics probably as well as anybody, predicted in the New York Times that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney would win the Iowa caucuses.

In California, Linda Darling Hammond, a Stanford professor of education, has been named a campaign adviser to the Obama campaign.

"Barack Obama realizes that education in today's knowledge age is critical to the survival and success of both individuals and society," Darling-Hammond said. "His education plan is comprehensive -- making essential, strategic investments at each stage of education, from early childhood through higher education."


Michelle Obama speaks in New Hampshire about the notion of public service.

Barack Obama addresses Latino Dropout Rate in East LA

Talking to young people and parents at an East Los Angeles high school, Barack Obama called for a comprehensive plan to tackle the Latino dropout rate.

“When I’m President, we’ll give our kids everything they need to have a fighting chance,” said Obama at the high school on which the movie "Stand and Deliver" was based. “Let’s not pass a law called No Child Left Behind and then leave the money behind. Let’s rebuild our crumbling schools and recruit an army of new teachers because what makes the most difference in any child’s education is the person standing at the front of the classroom. And we also have to make sure that every child who wants to learn English has the resources to learn English. And that any child who comes here and studies here and does well in school has the same chance to attend a public college as anyone else.”

Obama said he would push a middle school investment bill to help lower the Latino dropout rate. The Illinois senator also mentioned plans to help alleviate urban poverty.


Barack Obama at Garfield High School in East Los Angeles from barackobama.com