(This is a repost from Tuesday with a video update at the bottom of his remarks from yesterday)
So my top issue is education (which is easily ascertainable if you check out my earliest diaries). So I was in another diary today and someone mentioned that education would be a top issue in the general election. I really hope that person is right because I think it's been largely ignored by the masses given the drama and other issues that were focused on in the primary.
Jump
So I went to John McCain's website for the first time in my life to see where he stands on the issue. First thing I noticed when I went on his page was how SHORT it was. I mean, I've written more on education in my diaries. The crux of McCain's plan is choice:
Excellence, Choice, and Competition in American Education
Overall, his plan looks exactly like "No Child Left Behind." His theory is apparently, give the parents a choice and the schools will automatically fix themselves.
No Child Left Behind has focused our attention on the realities of how students perform against a common standard. John McCain believes that we can 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. While that is progress all its own, it compels us to seek and find solutions to the dismal facts before us.
Nothing in this paragraph even suggests that NCLB isn't working (sound familiar?). It sounds like it's a rousing success that has shown us all what's wrong with education which is simply that some students are held to higher standards than others. It doesn't look like McCain will actually CHANGE anything about the current plan.
If a school will not change, the students should be able to change schools. John McCain believes parents should be empowered with 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. He finds 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 can make another choice. John McCain believes that is a fundamental and essential right we should honor for all parents.
This is from the NCLB website:
The No Child Left Behind Act provides new education options for many families. This federal law allows parents to choose other public schools or take advantage of free tutoring if their child attends a school that needs improvement. Also, parents can choose another public school if the school their child attends is unsafe. The law also supports the growth of more independent charter schools, funds some services for children in private schools, and provides certain protections for homeschooling parents. Finally, it requires that states and local school districts provide information to help parents make informed educational choices for their child.
Do you see a difference? I don't.
How about this:
Public education should be defined as one in which our public support for a child's education follows that child into the school the parent chooses. The school is charged with the responsibility of educating the child, and must have the resources and management authority to deliver on that responsibility. They must also report to the parents and the public on their progress.
vs. this from the NCLB site:
Under No Child Left Behind, states are working to close the achievement gap and make sure all students, including those who are disadvantaged, achieve academic proficiency. Annual state and school district report cards inform parents and communities about state and school progress. Schools that do not make progress must provide supplemental services, such as free tutoring or after-school assistance; take corrective actions; and, if still not making adequate yearly progress after five years, make dramatic changes to the way the school is run.
Schools are ALREADY reporting. That's not telling me what he's going to do to fix the problem. Honestly, I must say I was very disappointed in what I saw on his website with regard to education. This is how he closes it out:
As president, John McCain will pursue reforms that address the underlying cultural problems in our education system - a system that still seeks to avoid genuine accountability and responsibility for producing well-educated children.
John McCain will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding the ability of parents to choose among schools for their children. He believes 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.
Okay, that's nice. But HOW is he going to do that? I saw no plan at all. How is the McCain Administration going to help these schools change? And what about higher education? There is life after high school (even if you don't want to admit it because it would force people to consider options other than joining the military)
Contrast that section with his section on Iraq which is so plentiful that it has SUBSECTIONS (which are non-existent in the "education" section).
Suffice it to say, I don't have that much confidence in McCain's ability to fix the education problems we are facing. He didn't even ACKNOWLEDGE the problems until the end of the page.
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Contrast that with Obama's site. They've actually updated the Education section since the last time I visited it, they have videos. The first one they have up is one with him discussing his plan embedded below:
First difference I notice: There are subsections!! (and they say he has no substance). Also, he does the logical thing and starts with the current problems we are facing:
No Child Left Behind Left the Money Behind: The goal of the law was the right one, but unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Education Department and shortcomings in the design of the law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support. As a result, the law has failed to provide high-quality teachers in every classroom and failed to adequately support and pay those teachers.
Students Left Behind: Six million middle and high school students read significantly below their grade level. A full third of high school graduates do not immediately go on to college. American 15 year olds rank 28th out of 40 countries in mathematics and 19th out of 40 countries in science. Almost 30 percent of students in their first year of college are forced to take remedial science and math classes because they are not prepared.
High Dropout Rate: America has one of the highest dropout rates in the industrialized world. Only 70 percent of U.S. high school students graduate with a diploma. African American and Latino students are significantly less likely to graduate than white students.
Teacher Retention is a Problem: Thirty percent of new teachers leave within their first five years in the profession.
Soaring College Costs: College costs have grown nearly 40 percent in the past five years. The average graduate leaves college with over $19,000 in debt. And between 2001 and 2010, 2 million academically qualified students will not go to college because they cannot afford it. Finally, our complicated maze of tax credits and applications leaves too many students unaware of financial aid available to them.
Okay, so now that you've told us the problems Senator Obama, how are you going to fix them?
Not only does the man have a plan, but the PLAN has subheadings, and bullet points. Rather than point out all of them (since there are a lot), I'll point out a few that really stand out to me:
Early Childhood Education
Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school.
He's right, the problem with a lot of economically challenged people is that they don't have the resources to start their children out early. Personally, I never went to pre-school (but I did go to daycare during the school year), but I was fortunate enough to have a grandmother who was a teacher's aid. This meant she had access to resources that otherwise we probably wouldn't have had. Before I went to kindergarten I could read, write my name, and count. Once I got to school it wasn't a big shock to me because I was already used to doing those things. Not everyone is going to have a grandmother who doesn't work in the summer and teaches them while she takes care of them. Obama's plan will give those parents a chance to give their children the same opportunities I had which I honestly think were crucial to my academic success. I never felt "stupid" when I was in class (well, until I got to law school).
K-12
Reform No Child Left Behind: Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them.
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 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.
So, I love how he starts out with how he's going to fix NCLB. In theory I think NCLB is a great concept (apparently, so does John McCain), but in practice it's not working out. My biggest gripe with NCLB is the weight given to testing. There are many things that go into receiving a successful education, and I honestly think standardized testing discourages students who don't perform as well on them (traditionally minorities and economically challenged students)
The dropout rate in this country really disturbs me, I wrote a diary a while ago about a report released called "Cities in Crisis" which goes into more detail on this issue, here's part of what I wrote:
Personally, I think we need to do more for retention. We need to give these students a reason to WANT to go to school. Education seems almost unnecessary in today's society which I feel focuses too much on money. People can't do the jobs they want to do, which would help the community and some of these failing schools, because if they do, they won't be able to afford to live. So when students see people getting their education, going out and taking out hundreds of thousands of dollars in loans, and still struggling, they don't see a need to get an education. In this society of instant gratification, there are plenty of EASIER ways to get money that take far less time. If they end up in jail, it's almost a badge of honor. These kids aren't stupid, they just don't see a need to get a formal education.
Schools need to stop focusing on passing TESTS and focus on educating our youth. Tests can be good indicators of a schools success, but they should not be the end all-be-all of whether students are getting good educations. I know people that are VERY smart, and just don't do well on tests. There have been studies that show that certain racial and socio-economic groups do better with standardized testing.
We cannot continue to ignore problems like our education system in favor of things like the War in Iraq, Health Care, and the Economy. While they are all important issues, one of them isn't getting NEARLY enough attention. It all comes down to money. People don't want to vote for levies to get money to these school districts, and then want to get mad at the district when those youth drop out and get into illegal activities.
Barack Obama always says that we cannot afford to wait to fix our healthcare, to end the war in Iraq, to fix our economy, but we also cannot afford to wait to fix our failing schools (to his credit, he does ALWAYS mention education, but one candidate focusing on the issue while the other candidates and the MSM all but ignore it is not doing anything).
I think his plan to address the dropout rate is good, but I also think there needs to be a sort of practical component where the students can see where they will use what they learn in their every day lives. They may not be able to use EVERY subject in their every day lives, but if they can see how one or two apply, I think it will go a long way.
Also, I think his summer program idea will help students to stay motivated through the summer and continue to learn without being subjected to summer school in the traditional sense.
(I'm taking this out of order)
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. 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.
We all know about the tax credit, so I'm not going to talk about that.
However, he's hitting the nail on the head with the elimination of FAFSA forms. I HATE HATE HATE filling them out every year (I'm glad this year was my last), they are burdensome the first time, then if you can't remember the stupid pin they gave you, you have to request them to send it to you by snail mail, which means you have to wait 2 weeks to fill it out. FAFSA is a bit less time consuming when you don't have to use your parent's tax information anymore and they pre-fill the application for re-filing, but as someone who hates filling out forms with a passion, I'd much rather check a little box.
Okay, and last but not least, teachers:
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. Districts will be able to design programs that reward accomplished educators who serve as a mentor to new teachers with a salary increase. Districts can reward teachers who work in underserved places like rural areas and inner cities. And if teachers consistently excel in the classroom, that work can be valued and rewarded as well.
(italic emphasis added)
This plan almost makes me want to be a teacher. Not only will you be able to get a free education if you decide to be a teacher, but he will give you the tools you need through both educational opportunities and mentoring to succeed in your profession. One of my best friends is a teacher, and she can barely afford to live and pay all of her bills, and I know all of the crap she has to go through. My question here is: how would he measure the success each teacher is having? Hopefully not through test scores, if so we'll be back at square one with teachers teaching to standardized tests.
And his page closes not by telling what he WILL do, but telling what he DID do already:
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.
I hope you all found the diary useful, especially if one of your big issues is education. Even through their education plans you can see how McCain is the past while Obama is the future. Everything in block quotes is from the candidates' respective websites unless otherwise stated, everything outside of the block quotes is my personal opinion (please feel free to disagree with me)
Please, leave comments, I'd love to discuss this issue further with you all :o)
UPDATE: