“Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy. Michelle and I are only here tonight because we were given a chance at an education. And 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, and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I’ll ask for higher standards and more accountability. And we will keep our promise to every young American - if you commit to serving your community or your country, we will make sure you can afford a college education.”
~then-Sen. Barack Obama, accepting the Democratic nomination for President
One of Obama’s promises for change has regarded education. His promises include (source: “Expanding the Promise of Education”):
- Recovery for schools that are failing under the standards set by No Child Left Behind
- Investment in charter schools
- Better tracking of students’ path through education; teachers’ effectiveness
- Higher pay as a reward for high-performing teachers (similar to the philosophy behind Denver’s ProComp system)
- Investment in early-childhood education, especially “Zero to Five” developmental programs
After the first 100+ days, what has been done?
Based on his promises, the Obama plan for education is only beginning. I’d say this is a good start, but the benefits of it may not be seen immediately.
No Child Left Behind changed the landscape of American education when it was passed in 2001. The idea that American schools should follow certain standards is not a bad one, but the NCLB also opened the door to further fragmentation of resources for schools.
One of the strongest tenants of NCLB is school choice; when a school is determined to not be meeting standards, they are put on a school improvement list. When on this list, the school must offer all students the opportunity, including help with costs, to attend another school that is not on the list. Less students, in many cases, means less money to spend on school resources. Still, in this framework, a school is expected to design a plan to make it off the improvement list.
Most simply, the set up gives less to schools that already have less to begin with.
Obama’s investment in education, in both capital and human terms, is an important one. However, real reform in education will come from rethinking the way we think about education. We don’t only need an army of teachers, higher standards, and more accountability. We need stronger investments in resources and in opportunities for all students. Even if we have to operate under a system of standards, under-performing schools shouldn’t be monetarily punished for missing the mark. Making a plan to meet the standards is important, and schools must be offered adequate resources to do so.
Most importantly, we shouldn’t rely on Obama to completely change the face of education. In fact, we shouldn’t rely on government. Government should play an important role in funding, but there are more important stakeholders in American education. Teachers, administrators, parents, families, neighbors, and most importantly: students. Reform doesn’t have to be completely dictated by the government sitting in Washington, but it should include communities close to the school.
We all have a reason to improve education: in some way, we, and everything we do, is a product of the education system. If it is sub-par, then we have to know that we are not in the best position to make other changes this country desperately needs. Put in that light, Kennedy’s words are most important: “Ask not what this country can do for you, ask what you can do for your country.”
The executive branch is doing important things with education, and has a lot more to do. I have made it a point to invest myself in American education as a Teach for America teacher, along with 4000+ new corps members. That is only the beginning, though. One doesn’t have to be a teacher to make a difference, though. So, what will you do?
~MJ
