Obama wants
to overhaul education system from 'cradle to career'
CNN
 WASHINGTON
(CNN) -- President Obama began to flesh out the details
of one of his signature campaign promises Tuesday,
outlining his plan for a major overhaul of the country's
education system "from the cradle up through a career."
President Obama says the decline of education is
"unacceptable for our children."
President Obama says the decline of education is
"unacceptable for our children."
"We have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our
teacher quality fall short and other nations outpace
us," Obama said in an address to the U.S. Hispanic
Chamber of Commerce. "The time for finger-pointing is
over. The time for holding ourselves accountable is
here."
"The relative decline of American education is untenable
for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy and
unacceptable for our children, and we cannot afford to
let it continue," he said.
The president outlined a five-tier reform plan, starting
with increased investments in early childhood
initiatives.
Obama noted that the recently passed $787 billion
stimulus plan includes an additional $5 billion for Head
Start, a program to help low-income families.
He highlighted a proposal to offer 55,000 first-time
parents "regular visits from trained nurses to help make
sure their children are healthy and prepare them for
school and life."
He also pledged to boost federal support in the form of
"Early Learning Challenge" grants to states that develop
plans to strengthen early education programs.
Second, Obama called for an end to "what has become a
race to the bottom in our schools" through lower testing
standards. Echoing former President Bush's call to end
"the soft bigotry of low expectations," Obama said
states needed to stop "low-balling expectations" for
students. Video Watch Obama challenge states to raise
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"The solution to low test scores is not lower standards;
it's tougher, clearer standards," he argued.
At the same time, however, he urged states to develop
standards "that don't simply measure whether students
can fill in a bubble on a test but whether they possess
21st century skills like problem-solving and critical
thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity."
To help promote this goal, Obama said he would push for
funding in the No Child Left Behind law to be more
effectively tied to results. The Education Department,
he said, would "back up this commitment to higher
standards with a fund to invest in innovation in our
school districts."
Obama's third tier focused on teacher training and
recruitment. He noted that federal dollars had been set
aside in the stimulus plan to help prevent teacher
layoffs. He also reiterated a promise to support merit
pay, as well as extra pay for math and science teachers
with the goal of ending a shortage in both of those
subjects.
At the same time, however, the president warned that
ineffective teachers should not be allowed to remain on
the job.
"If a teacher is given a chance but still does not
improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue
teaching," he said. "I reject a system that rewards
failure and protects a person from its consequences."
Teachers' unions have opposed merit-based pay, arguing
that it is unfair because it leads to competition among
teachers and because teachers face different challenges
depending on where they are located.
Fourth, Obama called for the promotion of educational
"innovation and excellence" by renewing his campaign
pledge to support charter schools. He called on states
to lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools.
He also urged a longer school calendar.
"I know longer school days and school years are not
wildly popular ideas," Obama said. "But the challenges
of a new century demand more time in the classroom."
Obama's final reform initiative focused on higher
education. Among other things, the president promised to
boost college access by raising the maximum Pell Grant
award to $5,550 a year and indexing it above inflation.
He also promised to push for a $2,500 a year tuition tax
credit for students from working families.
The American Federation of Teachers, a union with 1.4
million members, said Tuesday that it embraces Obama's
goals to provide "all Americans with a comprehensive,
competitive education that begins in early childhood and
extends through their careers."
"We also fully support the president's call for shared
responsibility for education -- among public officials,
school administrators, parents, students and teachers,"
the group said in a statement.
"As with any public policy, the devil is in the details,
and it is important that teachers' voices are heard as
we implement the president's vision."
In promoting his program, the president called for an
end to the "partisanship and petty bickering" that many
observers believe has typically defined education policy
debates in the past.
"We need to move beyond the worn fights of the 20th
century if we are going to succeed in the 21st century,"
he said.
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Obama also offered a rebuttal to critics who have
accused him of diverting attention to issues such as
education and energy at the expense of the deteriorating
economy.
"I know there are some who believe we can only handle
one challenge at a time," he said. But "we don't have
the luxury of choosing between getting our economy
moving now and rebuilding it over the long term."
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