Barack Obama on Education
Democratic incumbent President; IL Senator (2004-2008)
- Sub-sections under Education:
- College
- Merit Incentives
- School Choice
- Voting Record
- Other issues under Education
We reformed schools in 46 states, with their governors
ROMNEY: We're going to have to have training programs that work for our
workers and schools that finally put the parents and the teachers and
the kids first, and the teachers union's going to have to go behind.OBAMA:
Let's take an example that we know
is going to make a difference in the 21st century, and that's our
education policy. Under my leadership, what we've done is reformed
education, working with governors, 46 states. We've seen progress and
gains in schools that were having a terrible time,
and they're starting to finally make progress. And what I now want to do
is to hire more teachers. Governor Romney, when you were asked by
teachers whether or not this would help the economy grow, he said, "this
isn't going to help the economy grow."
When you were asked about reduced class sizes, you said class sizes
don't make a difference. But I tell you, if you talk to teachers, they
will tell you it does make a difference.
Recovery Act avoided layoffs; now hire more teachers
Q: The recent strike [in Chicago] of 29,000 teachers who left 350,000
students out of school could happen elsewhere: What is your plan to
solve the present education crisis?A: What happened in Chicago was of
concern, and we're glad that it finally
got resolved. But you're going to see school districts dealing with this
issue because part of what has happened is a lot of teacher layoffs.
Part of what the Recovery Act was all about--was to help states and
local communities not lay off teachers.
Unfortunately, though, we've still seen a lot of school districts lay
off teachers. That has an impact on the students themselves because when
you have larger classes, it's harder to provide the individualized
attention
on those kids, especially at the younger grades. And what we say to
school districts all across the country is, we will provide you more
help as long as you're being held accountable.
100,000 new science & math teachers over the next decade
Q: What policies will best ensure that America remains a world leader in innovation?A:
[Besides federal R&D support], to prepare American children for a
future in which they can be the highly skilled American workers and
innovators of tomorrow, I have
set the goal of preparing 100,000 science and math teachers over the
next decade. These teachers will meet the urgent need to train one
million additional science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)
graduates over the next decade.
Educate to Innovate: new national STEM Master Teacher Corps
Q: What role should the federal government play to better prepare
students of all ages for the science & technology-driven global
economy?A: An excellent education remains the clearest, surest route
to the middle class. To compete with other countries
we must strengthen STEM education. Early in my administration, I called
for a national effort to move American students from the middle to the
top of the pack in science and math achievement. Last year, I announced
an ambitious goal of preparing 100,000
additional STEM teachers over the next decade, with growing
philanthropic and private sector support. My "Educate to Innovate"
campaign is bringing together leading businesses, foundations,
non-profits, and professional societies to improve STEM teaching
and learning. Recently, I outlined a plan to launch a new national STEM
Master Teacher Corps that will be established in 100 sites across the
country and be expanded over the next four years to support 10,000 of
the best STEM teachers in the nation.
Educate to Innovate campaign: make US top in math & science
We've always been a positive, forward-looking people. A can-do attitude
is part of our cultural DNA. And that mind-set is a prerequisite for
turning things around. President Obama captured this essential part
of the
American character when he announced the kickoff of his Educate to
Innovate campaign--a nationwide effort to move
American students back to the top in science and math education. "This
nation wasn't built on greed," he said. "It wasn't built on reckless
risk. It wasn't built on short-term gains and shortsighted policies.
It was forged on stronger stuff, by bold men and women who dared to
invent something new or improve something old--who took big chances on
big ideas, who believed that in America all things are possible."
Quitting high school is quitting on your country
In a global economy where the most valuable skill you can sell is your
knowledge, a good education is no longer just a pathway to
opportunity--it is a prerequisite. And yet, we have one of the highest
high school dropout rates of any industrialized
nation. And half of the students who begin college never finish. This is
a prescription for economic decline. So tonight, I ask every
American to commit to at least one year or more of higher education or
career training.
This can be community college or a four-year school; vocational training
or an apprenticeship. But every American will need to get more than a
high school diploma. And dropping out of high school is no longer an
option. It's not just quitting on
yourself, it's quitting on your country. That's why we will provide the
support necessary for all young Americans to complete college and meet a
new goal: By 2020, America will once again have the highest proportion
of college graduates in the world.
Invest in early childhood education and higher education
Michelle and I are here only because we were given a chance at an
education. I will not settle for an America where some kids don’t have
that chance. I’ll invest in early childhood education. I’ll recruit an
army of new teachers, pay them higher salaries
and give them more support. In exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards
and more accountability. We’ll keep our promise to every young
American--if you commit to serving your community and your country, we
will make sure you can afford a college education
Fight for social & economic justice begins in the classroom
We’ll make sure that every child in this country gets a world-class
education from the day they’re born until the day they graduate from
college. What McCain is offering amounts to little more than the same
tired rhetoric about vouchers. We need to move
beyond the same debate we’ve been having for the past 30 years when we
haven’t gotten anything done. We need to fix & improve our public
schools, not throw our hands up and walk away from them. We need to
uphold the ideal of public education, but we also
need reform. That’s why I’ve introduced a comprehensive strategy to
recruit an army of new quality teachers to our communities--and to pay
them more & give them more support. We’ll invest in early childhood
education programs so that our kids don’t begin
the race of life behind the starting line and offer a $4,000 tax credit
to make college affordable for anyone who wants to go. Because as the
NAACP knows better than anyone, the fight for social justice and
economic justice begins in the classroom.
Make math & science policy a national priority
Obama also has detailed plans to improve our nation's primary and secondary schools:- Reform No Child Left Behind: Start by funding the law.
- Make math and science education a national priority: 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.
- Address the dropout crisis: Provide funding to school districts to invest in intervention strategies.
- Expand high-quality afterschool opportunities.
- Recruit, prepare, retain and reward America's teachers: Obama will create new Teacher Service Scholarships that will cover four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education.
We need real commitment to education; instead we got NCLB
These past eight years will be remembered for misguided policies &
missed opportunities. We still have no real strategy to compete in a
global economy. Just think of what we could have done. We could have
made a real commitment to a world-class education
for our kids, but instead we passed “No Child Left Behind,” a law
that--however well-intended--left the money behind and alienated
teachers and principals instead of inspiring them. I want to take us
in a new and better direction. It’s time for new
policies that create the jobs & opportunities of the future--a
competitiveness agenda built upon education and energy, innovation and
infrastructure, fair trade and reform.This agenda starts with education. A highly-educated and skilled workforce will be the key not only to individual opportunity, but to the overall success of our economy as well. We cannot be satisfied until every child in America--and I mean every child--has the same chances for a good education that we want for our own children.
$10 billion to guarantee early childhood education for all
Senator McCain doesn’t talk about education much. But I don’t accept the
status quo. It is morally unacceptable and economically untenable. It’s
time to make an historic commitment to education? a real commitment
that will require new resources and new
reforms.We can start by investing $10 billion to guarantee access to
quality, affordable, early childhood education for every child in
America. Every dollar that we spend on these programs puts our children
on a path to success, while saving us as
much as $10 in reduced health care costs, crime, and welfare later on.We can fix the failures of No Child Left Behind, while focusing on accountability. That means providing the funding that was promised. More importantly, it means reaching high standards, but not by relying on a single, high stakes standardized test that distorts how teachers teach. Instead, we need to work with governors, educators and especially teachers to develop better assessment tools.
Evolution & science aren’t incompatible with Christian faith
Q: If one of your daughters asked you, “Daddy, did God really create the world in 6 days?” What would you say?A:
What I believe is that God created the universe, and that the 6 days in
the Bible may not be 6 days as we understand it. My belief is that
the story that the Bible tells about God creating this magnificent
Earth, that is fundamentally true. Now whether it happened exactly as we
might understand it reading the text of the Bible, that I don’t presume
to know. But one last point--I do believe
in evolution. I don’t think that is incompatible with Christian faith.
Just as I don’t think science generally is incompatible with Christian
faith. There are those who suggest that if you have a scientific bent of
mind, then somehow you should reject
religion. And I fundamentally disagree with that. In fact, the more I
learn about the world, the more I know about science, the more I’m
amazed about the mystery of this planet and this universe. And it
strengthens my faith as opposed to weakens it.
Mother home-schooled Obama in English while in Indonesia
His mother understood "the life chances of an American from those of an
Indonesian. She knew which side of the divide she wanted her child to be
on. I was an American, she decided, and my true life lay elsewhere,"
Obama remembered.The means she chose
to achieve this end was education. The family did not have enough money
for Obama to attend a private elementary school, so his mother
subscribed to a series of elementary school correspondence courses. Each
weekday, starting at 4:00 a.m., Dunham taught
Obama his English lessons for three hours before he went to school and
she left for work.She also taught him values. "If you want to grow into a human being,' she would say to me, 'you're going to need some values.' Honesty... Fairness... Straight talk... and independent judgment," Obama wrote. "In a land where fatalism remained a necessary tool for enduring hardship, where ultimate truths were kept separate from day-to-day realities, she was a lonely witness for secular humanism."
Children’s First Agenda: zero to five early education
- High-Quality Zero to Five Early Education: Obama will launch a Children’s First Agenda that provides care, learning and support to families with children from birth up to five years old.
- Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama believes that the goal of No Child Left Behind was the right one, but that it was written and implemented poorly and it has demoralized our educators and broken its promise to our children. Obama will fund No Child Left Behind and improve its assessments and accountability systems.
- Improve K-12: Obama will improve our schools by recruiting well-qualified teachers to every classroom in America. Obama will improve teacher compensation by rewarding expert, accomplished teachers for taking on challenging assignments & helping teachers succeed. Obama also will reduce the high school dropout rate and close the achievement gap by investing in proven intervention strategies in the middle grades & in summer learning & afterschool opportunities
Put billions of dollars into early childhood education
Latinos have such a high dropout rate. What you see consistently are
children at a very early age are starting school already behind. That’s
why I’ve said that I’m going to put billions of dollars into early
childhood education that makes sure that our
African-American youth, Latino youth, poor youth of every race, are
getting the kind of help that they need so that they know their numbers,
their colors, their letters. Every dollar that we spend in early
childhood education, we get
$10 back in reduced dropout rates, improved reading scores. That’s the
kind of commitment we have to make early on. We’ve got to improve K
through 12. That means not just talking about how great teachers are but
rewarding them for their greatness by
giving them higher salaries and giving them more support and
professional development; and making sure that No Child Left Behind is
not a tool to punish people, and we’re not just basing how we fund our
schools on a standardized test.
Need after-school and summer programs with good parenting
We need after-school programs and summer-school programs because
minority youth and poor youth are less likely to get the kind of
environment and supplemental activities that they need. But let’s be
clear: We have good answers for how to make these
schools work. What we don’t have is a sense of urgency in the White
House. I was raised by a single mom and my grandparents. I did not get
money and privilege when I was young. But I did get a good education.
And we’ve got to have that attitude for every
single child in America. That also means--last point I’ll make, because
sometimes this doesn’t get talked enough about. We have to have our
parents take their jobs seriously, and particularly African-American
fathers who all too often are absent from the
home, have not encouraged the kind of, you know, nurturing of our
children that they need. As somebody who grew up without a father, I
know how important that is. The schools can’t do it all by themselves.
Parents have to parent.
Get parents re-engaged in educating the children
Oftentimes minority children are already behind when they start school.
Not just talking about how great teachers are but giving them more money
and more support. Changing no child left behind so that we’re not just
teaching to a test and crowding out
programs like art and music that are so critical. You asked earlier
about sacrifices that I’ll ask from the American people. One of the
things that I want to do is get parents reengaged in instilling a sense
of excellence in their children.
And I’ve said this all across the country when I talk to parents about
education, government has to fulfill its obligations to fund education,
but parents have to do their job too. We’ve got to turn off the TV set,
we’ve got to put away
the video game, and we have to tell our children that session not a
passive activity, you have to be actively engaged in it. If we encourage
that attitude and our community is enforcing it, I have no doubt we can
compete with anybody in the world.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Cut banks out and add $4.5 Billion to college loans
It’s really important that we revamp our college loan programs to free
up more money for students. The direct loan program works extremely
well--there doesn’t appear to be a need for these student
loan programs to be managed through banks and other private lenders. If
we consolidate programs under the Direct Loan program, we would save
$4.5 billion.
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.
Sex education needed to help children discuss molestation
KEYES: [to Obama]: You voted that sex education should begin in
kindergarten but it would be “age appropriate sex education.” But you
opposed putting internet filters in schools. It makes me wonder what
exactly you think is age appropriate. Do you believ
that in the 2nd grade we should be teaching from books like Heather Has Two Mommies.OBAMA:
Actually, that wasn’t what I had in mind. We have an existing law that
mandates sex education in the schools and we want to make sure that it’s
medically
accurate and age appropriate. I have a 3 year old daughter and a six
year old daughter and one of the things I talk about with my wife is the
possibility of someone touching them inappropriately. And that’s why
[sex education] is in the law. So they can
exercise some kind of protection against abuse. As for filters, I have
voted for them. In the school setting, there was information
schoolchildren could not access such as information about breast cancer,
which is why there was a broad opposition.
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.
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.
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.
Barack Obama on College
2 million more slots in our community colleges
We've got to improve our education system and we've made enormous
progress drawing on ideas both from Democrats and Republicans that are
already starting to show gains in some of the toughest to deal with
schools.
We've got a program called Race to the Top that has prompted reforms in
46 states around the country, raising standards, improving how we train
teachers.
So now I want to hire another 100,000 new math and science teachers, and
create 2 million more slots in our community colleges so that people
can get trained for the jobs that are out there right now.
And I want to make sure that we keep tuition low for our young people.
Cut out the middleman on student loans from banks
When it comes to community colleges, we are seeing great work done out
there all over the country because we have the opportunity to train
people for jobs that exist right now. And one of the things I suspect
Governor Romney and
I probably agree on is getting businesses to work with community
colleges so that they're setting up their training programs. When it
comes to making college affordable, whether it's two-year or four-year,
one of the things that
I did as president was we were sending $60 billion to banks and lenders
as middlemen for the student loan program, even though the loans were
guaranteed. So there was no risk for the banks or the lenders, but they
were taking billions out of the system.
And we said, "Why not cut out the middleman?" And as a consequence, what
we've been able to do is to provide millions more students assistance,
lower or keep low interest rates on student loans.
More education funding from early childhood thru Pell grants
Q: Only one out of 10 Hispanics graduate from college. And only one out
of three finish high school. To what do you attribute the high dropout
rate?A: Some of the work that we've done over the last four years to
make sure that the student loan
interest rate stays low, expanding Pell grants for millions of students,
including millions of Latino students, so that we are seeing the
highest college enrollment rate among Latino students in history--all
that is going to help to contribute
to us being able to deal with the problem of secondary and high school
educations by inspiring a whole lot of students to say, I can do that,
too; I can achieve that dream. One of the things we know is going to
make a big difference is early childhood
education. So we've put enormous effort not only in providing additional
funding for early childhood education, but also to improve the quality.
46 states have initiated reforms.
Michelle: We were so young, so in love, and so in debt
When it comes to giving our kids the education they deserve, Barack
knows that like me and like so many of you, he never could've attended
college without financial aid.And believe it or not, when we were first married, our combined monthly
student loan bills were actually higher than our mortgage. We were so young, so in love, and so in debt.That's why Barack has fought so hard to increase student aid and keep interest rates down, because he wants every young person to fulfill their promise and be able to attend college without a mountain of debt.
So in the end, for Barack, these issues aren't political--they're personal. Because Barack knows what it means when a family struggles. Barack knows the American Dream because he's lived it. And he wants everyone in this country to have that same opportunity, no matter who we are, or where we're from, or what we look like, or who we love.
Make community colleges into community career centers
I hear from many business leaders who want to hire but can't find
workers with the right skills. Growing industries in science and
technology have twice as many openings as we have workers who can do the
job. That's inexcusable. And we know how to fix it
Join me in a national commitment to train two million Americans with
skills that will lead directly to a job. Model partnerships between
businesses and community colleges are up and running. Now you need to
give more community colleges the resources
they need to become community career centers--places that teach people
skills that local businesses are looking for right now, from data
management to high-tech manufacturing.I want to cut through the maze of confusing training programs, so that from now on, people have one program, one website, and one place to go for all the information and help they need. It's time to turn our unemployment system into a reemployment system that puts people to work.
Jobs today require at least a bachelor's degree
Historically, education has been the great equalizer. But something has
gone terribly wrong with education--and we've slipped further and
further behind. Among 30 developed countries ranked by the Organization
of Economic Co-operation and Development, th
US ranked 25th in math and 21st in science."Education," said Pres.
Obama during his May 2010 commencement address at Hampton University,
"is what has always allowed us to meet the challenges of a changing
world." But he made it clear that the bar for
meeting those challenges has been raised, and that a high-school
diploma--formerly, in the president's words, "a ticket into a solid
middle-class life"--is no longer enough to compete in what he called the
"knowledge economy.""Jobs today often require at least a bachelor's degree," he said, "and that degree is even more important in tough times like these. In fact, the unemployment rate for folks who've never gone to college is over twice as high as for folks with a college degree or more."
$10K college tax credit; forgive loans for public service
In this economy, a high school diploma no longer guarantees a good job.
That's why I urge the Senate to pass a bill that will revitalize our
community colleges, which are a career pathway to the children of so
many working families.To make college more
affordable, this bill will finally end the unwarranted taxpayer
subsidies that go to banks for student loans. Instead, let's take that
money and give families a $10,000 tax credit for four years of college
& increase Pell Grants.And let's tell another one million students that when they graduate, they will be required to pay only 10% of their income on student loans, and all of their debt will be forgiven after 20 years--and forgiven after 10 years if they choose a career in public service, because in the USA, no one should go broke because they chose to go to college.
And by the way, it's time for colleges and universities to get serious about cutting their own costs--because they, too, have a responsibility to help solve this problem.
$2,500 tax credit for all four years of college
Over the next two years, my economic plan will save or create 3.5
million jobs. More than 90 percent of these jobs will be in the private
sector--jobs rebuilding our roads and bridges; constructing wind
turbines and solar panels; laying broadband
and expanding mass transit. Because of this plan, there are teachers
who can now keep their jobs and educate our kids. Health care
professionals can continue caring for our sick. Because of this plan, 95 percent of working households in America will receive a tax cut--a tax cut that you will see in your paychecks beginning on April 1st.
Because of this plan, families who are struggling to pay tuition costs will receive a $2,500 tax credit for all four years of college. And Americans who have lost their jobs in this recession will be able to receive extended unemployment benefits and continued health care coverage to help them weather this storm.
Refundable $4000 tax credit for community college tuition
Obama proposes to expand the child-care tax credit, though he would also
dramatically expand the system of child care and pre-kindergarten. He
also proposes a refundable $4,000 tax credit--equivalent to a direct
grant--for community college tuition.
It would also be available to other college students who completed a hundred hours a year of volunteer service.
To compete, students need at least H.S. & college degree
We know that education is everything to our children’s future. We know
that they will no longer just compete for good jobs with children from
Indiana, but children from India and China and all over the world.
We know the work and the studying and the level of education that
requires.You know, sometimes I’ll go to an eighth-grade graduation
and there’s all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I
think to myself, it’s just eighth grade.
To really compete, they need to graduate high school, and then they need
to graduate college, and they probably need a graduate degree too.
An eighth-grade education doesn’t cut it today. Let’s give them a
handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!
Pay for college education for those who commit to teaching
We need to recruit an army of new teachers. I’ll make this pledge: If
you commit your life to teaching, America will pay for your college
education. We’ll recruit teachers in math and science, and deploy them
to under-staffed school districts in our
inner cities and rural America. We’ll expand mentoring programs that
pair experienced teachers with new recruits. And when our teachers
succeed, I won’t just talk about how great they are--I’ll reward their
greatness with better pay and more support.
$4,000 college tuition for 100 hours’ public service a year
- 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. Obama will also ensure that the tax credit is available to families at the time of enrollment by using prior year’s tax data to deliver the credit when tuition is due.
- Simplify the Application Process for Financial Aid: Obama will streamline the financial aid process by eliminating the current federal financial aid application and enabling families to apply simply by checking a box on their tax form, authorizing their tax information to be used, and eliminating the need for a separate application.
- Require 100 Hours of Service in College: Obama will establish a new American Opportunity Tax Credit that worth $4,000 a year in exchange for 100 hours of public service a year.
Barack Obama on Merit Incentives
Romney education stances compared to Obama
OnTheIssues' paperback book explores how Romney's stances on education issues differ from Obama's, and where they are similar.
We cite details from Romney's books and speeches, and Obama's, so you can compare them, side-by-side, on issues like these: Romney vs. Obama on Social Issues
- Partial-Birth Abortion
- Stem Cells
- Judicial Activism
- Welfare State
- Welfare-to-Work
- Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell
- Defense of Marriage Act
- Affirmative Action
- College Loans
- No Child Left Behind
- School Vouchers
- Fathers In Families
- Tea Party
- Personal Faith
- Religious Values
FactCheck: Race to the Top has only rewarded 12 states
Race to the Top is a $4.35 billion competitive grant program for states
that seeks to encourage public schools to develop new ways to raise
standards and measure achievement for both teachers and students in
elementary and secondary schools.
Not all states received funding. They had to compete for the money, and,
in the end, 11 states and the District of Columbia were the winners in
two rounds of competition. The Department of Education has requested an
additional $1.35 billion to continue
the program, but Congress must approve it.Although the majority of
states did not receive funding, the Obama administration takes the
position that the competition for the funding alone resulted in sweeping
education changes in most states. In
August, the Dept. of Education said in competing, "35 states and the
District of Columbia have adopted rigorous common, college- and
career-ready standards in reading and math, and 34 states have changed
laws or policies to improve education."
Race to the Top: reward innovation in public schools
When a child walks into a classroom, it should be a place of high
expectations and high performance. But too many schools don't meet this
test. That's why instead of just pouring money into a system that's not
working, we launched a competition called
Race to the Top. To all 50 states, we said, "If you show us the most
innovative plans to improve teacher quality and student achievement,
we'll show you the money."Race to the Top is the most meaningful
reform of our public schools in a generation.
For less than 1% of what we spend on education each year, it has led
over 40 states to raise their standards for teaching and learning. And
these standards were developed, by the way, not by Washington, but by
Republican and
Democratic governors throughout the country. And Race to the Top should
be the approach we follow this year as we replace No Child Left Behind
with a law that's more flexible and focused on what's best for our kids.
Reward successful schools, instead of funding the status quo
We need to invest in the skills and education of our people. Now, this
year, we've broken through the stalemate between left and right by
launching a national competition to improve our schools. And the idea
here is simple: Instead of rewarding failure,
we only reward success. Instead of funding the status quo, we only
invest in reform--reform that raises student achievement; inspires
students to excel in math and science; and turns around failing schools
that steal the future of too many young
Americans, from rural communities to the inner city. In the 21st century, the best anti-poverty program around is a world-class education.
And in this country, the success of our children cannot depend more on where they live than on their potential. When we renew the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, we will work with Congress to expand these reforms to all 50 states.
Volunteer in your neighborhood & we help pay for college
I know that the price of tuition is higher than ever, which is why if
you are willing to volunteer in your neighborhood or give back to your
community or serve your country, we will make sure that you can afford a
higher education.
And to encourage a renewed spirit of national service for this and
future generations, I ask Congress to send me the bipartisan legislation
that bears the name of Senator Orrin Hatch & Senator Edward
Kennedy.
Merit pay ok if based on career instead of a single test
Q: As president, can you name a hot-button issue where you would be
willing to buck the Democratic Party line & say, “You know what?
Republicans have a better idea here?”A: I think that on issues of
education, I’ve been very clear about the fact--and
sometimes I’ve gotten in trouble with the teachers’ union on this--that
we should be experimenting with charter schools. We should be
experimenting with different ways of compensating teachers. Q: You mean merit pay?
A: Well, merit pay, the way it’s been designed, I think, is based on just a single standardized test--I think is a big mistake, because the way we measure performance may be skewed by whether or not the kids are coming into school already 3 years or 4 years behind. But I think that having assessment tools and then saying, “You know what? Teachers who are on career paths to become better teachers, developing themselves professionally--that we should pay excellence more.” I think that’s a good idea.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Barack Obama on School Choice
I doubled charter schools in Illinois; but no vouchers
McCAIN: Choice and competition amongst schools is one of the key
elements that’s already been proven in places in like New Orleans and
New York City and other places, where we have charter schools.
We have to be able to give parents the same choice, frankly, that Sen.
Obama and Mrs. Obama had and Cindy and I had to send our kids &
their kids to the school of their choice.Charter schools aren’t the only answer, but they’re providing competition.
They are providing the kind of competitions that have upgraded both types of schools.OBAMA: Sen. McCain and I actually agree on charter schools. I doubled the number of charter schools in Illinois despite some reservations from teachers unions. I think it’s important to foster competition inside the public schools. Where we disagree is on the idea that we can somehow give out vouchers as a way of securing the problems in our education system.
Vouchers don’t solve the problems of our schools
McCAIN: I’m sure you’re aware, Sen. Obama, of the program in the
Washington, D.C., school system where vouchers are provided. It’s a
thousand and some 9,000 parents asked to be eligible for that.OBAMA:
The D.C. school system is in terrible shape, and
it has been for a very long time. And we’ve got a wonderful new
superintendent there who’s working very hard with the young mayor.McCAIN: Who supports vouchers.
OBAMA: Actually, she supports charters.
McCAIN: She supports vouchers, also.
OBAMA: Even if Sen. McCain were to say that vouchers were the way to go--I disagree with him on this, because the data doesn’t show that it actually solves the problem--the centerpiece of Sen. McCain’s education policy is to increase the voucher program in D.C. by 2,000 slots. That leaves all of you who live in the other 50 states without an education reform policy from Sen. McCain.
McCAIN: Because there’s not enough vouchers; therefore, we shouldn’t do it, even though it’s working. I got it.
FactCheck: McCain for national reforms & also DC vouchers
The Statement:Obama criticized McCain’s education
proposals, saying, “The centerpiece of Senator McCain’s education policy
is to increase the voucher program in D.C. by 2,000 slots,” Obama said.
“That leaves all of you who live in the other
50 states without an education reform policy from Senator McCain.”The Facts:McCain
does support expanding what’s called The D.C. Opportunity Scholarship
Program. But McCain’s other proposals for education, as detailed on his
campaign
Web site, include expanding funding for at least one Head Start center
in each state; requiring all federally supported preschools to offer
comprehensive teaching in subjects including literacy, math readiness
and social skills; and funding to provide
bonuses to teachers who move to underperforming schools.The Verdict:False. While education has been less prominent than other issues, McCain has several education proposals other than school vouchers.
Supports charter schools; it’s important to experiment
Q: Name an issue where you’ve been willing to stand up against your party. A:
We had a roundtable about what we need to do with the schools. I’ve
consistently said, we need to support charter schools. I think it is
important to experiment, by looking
at how we can reward excellence in the classroom.Q: Have teacher’s unions been an impediment to that kind of reform?
A: They haven’t been thrilled with me talking about these kinds of issues. And my sister is a teacher, so I am a strong support of teachers, but I’m not going to be bound by just a certain way of talking about these things, in order for us to move forward on behalf of our kids. And I think a lot of teachers want to talk about how to continually improve performance. That’s not a conservative issue or liberal issue. If you’re a progressive, you’ve got to be worried about how the federal government is spending its revenue, because we don’t have enough money to spend on things like early childhood education that are so important.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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