I live in Minnesota. I went to public schools and thought they very good. Of course, I was middle-class kid in a wealthy suburb. I didn't know at the time my school was good in part due to high property taxes.
Then as I left the sheltered rock under which my parents liked me to live, I realized not everyone has the same opportunities in school because not all public schools are the same.
So even though I do not work in education, I find myself always quite interested in public education. It is truly th great equalizer in America. Well, it is suppose to be. But it seems like we need some grand changes in our schools to help the great equalizer along. Not George's No Child Left Behind bullshit. It was a sweeping change. But change for the sake of change only and then not funding the change is completely ridiculous policy. Bush want to have a policy he could point to. Good job, Mr. President. You have a policy and a motto.
Talking points and underfunded policies may be good politics but it isn't what is good for the children. Arizona Gov. Janet Napolitano has a plan for schools and announced it today. The plan includes universal preschool for children across the country, a standardized curriculum for all 50 states, full-day kindergarten and year-round schools.
Some of the recommendations:
* Extend the school year in low-performing schools, expand after-school programs, pay for universal preschool and full-day kindergarten and increase federal college grants.
* Develop a uniform, but voluntary, set of nationwide student learning goals, or curriculum, for core courses.
* Improve teacher training and offer financial incentives to entice teachers to work in high-poverty schools.
* Link neighborhood schools with their communities and families by providing such things as social services, English classes, parenting skills classes and home visits.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0823governor23.html
I love each of the recommendations. There is an abundance of research suggesting the children learning capacity is great during the years prior to attending kindergartern. Parents who can afford it are often already sending their children to pre-school. Pre-school needs to be provided to every child in America. We do not need the poor children in this country to be attending kindergarten a step behind. It could easily be a factor in continuing the cycle of poverty.
Extend the school year for low-performing schools. Absolutely. I know the kids in the older grades would complain and it may affect some vacations. I don't care! We are talking about the future of our country right here. We need to provide them with best possible education.
And we are currently not providing our children with the best education because other things are more important to our society as a collective whole.
I am thrilled to see this plan for education reform. I hope Democrats take heed of these suggestions and use them in their campaigns for 2006 and 2008.