rssObama Offers New Schools Plan, Funded by Iraq Withdrawal
Tuesday, September 09, 2008 at 11:30 am
- 3 Comments
DAYTON, Ohio — Sen. Barack Obama gave a rousing, thoughtful and detailed address on education today, telling about 750 supporters in a high school here that his administration will make American students more competitive in a global marketplace, fully fund No Child Left Behind, spike the share of high school students enrolled in advanced placement course — including schools in rural and poor neighborhoods — and double federal funding for charter schools.
“Don’t tell us that the only way to teach a child is to spend most of the year preparing him to fill in a few bubbles on a standardized test,” Obama said, to a smattering of applause. “Let’s finally help our teachers and principals develop a curriculum and assessments that teach our kids to become more than just good test-takers!”
Obama was most eloquent while imagining what American public schools could look like in the future. Channeling Jimmy Wales, he floated a more open source approach to learning.
“Imagine a future,” the Democratic nominee said, where students “don’t just do book reports but design PowerPoint presentations; where they don’t just write papers but build websites; where research isn’t done just by taking a book out of the library but by emailing experts in the field, and where teachers are less a source of knowledge than a coach for how best to use it.”
After summarizing his entire education plan, Obama conceded that it “sounds like a lot.” Yet, he told voters, all the funding and accountability is doable.
“We can do it all. We can increase the number of students taking college-level courses; expand innovation and school choice; invest in the schools of tomorrow, and put a quality teacher in every classroom – all for the cost of just a few days in Iraq. And we’ll pay for that cost by carefully winding down the war in Iraq; by ending no-bid contracts, and by eliminating wasteful spending,” he added, to some of the loudest applause of the morning.
The crowd, made up of supporters, local volunteers and about 25 students from an AP government class, chanted “Obama,” “Yes, We Can” and, in one spontaneous riff, “No More Pitbulls!” — a reference to Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, also campaigning in Ohio today.
A new poll has Obama trailing by seven points in Ohio, suggesting a post-convention bounce for McCain here. Though both campaigns consider the state a toss-up.
3 Comments
Comment posted September 9, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
I'm not sure that there will really be money available from ending the War in Iraq, as that is mostly borrowed money from foreign countries like China. I don't see us continuing to borrow money so we can educate our kids. Further, it is going to take a great deal of money to replace used up military equipment etc. One would think that that would provide jobs here at home, but lately we have been purchasing our war machines from foreign countries as well.
Regardless, we do have to come up with money for education anyway. The skills he is talking about are certainly needed but something I think is missing from junior high and high school teaching today is the ability to do critical thinking and the ability to debate ideas. There are many good teachers out there that do include this in their classrooms but not nearly enough. I went to a small school when I was a kid and we had this really demanding and wonderful history teacher in 8th grade. If you had a B or better in his class you spent at least three days of your class time in the school library.
We were given subjects to research and then we debated them in class. We debated slavery and the civil war, communism, and many other ideas. These debates were very hot on both sides of the issue and we were free to say all the bad things if we had the negative side. All of us really got into it and there was a great deal of competition to win for your side even if it was the wrong side. This was about 1960 before Vietnam, before the big civil rights push etc.
My kids much later in the late 80's early 90's had a science teacher in junior high and three or four high school teachers who did similar things or used really challenging approaches teaching their subject. These teachers were not just putting in their time for a paycheck but loved their subjects and loved to teach and as a result their students worked hard and loved their class.
Money alone can't give that to a school. Leadership is what makes a huge difference and parent interest and involvement supporting good leadership is essential to a good school.
I was fortunate to be young during the inspiring times of Jack and Robert Kennedy. Obama is that kind of leader, and that, given an opportunity, does trickle down to everyone giving rise to healthy enthusiasm that brings people together and lifts them up instead of pushing them down and dividing them.
McCain and Palin have absolutely nothing to offer this country except more misery. Misery loves company they say but I am tired of their kind of hopeless, misery and strife. This country has to get out of its rut and move forward or we will suffer terribly for it and our children will indict us for our lack of will and leadership.
RSS feed for comments on this post.
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
