President Obama has a valid point. China is killing us in Education. Hopefully, The education reform bill will have valid merit to it.

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[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At National Urban League Convention … [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At National Urban League Convention … [...]

The problem is no President/Political party wants to actually fix these bad systems (healthcare, financial, military education). Fixing takes years, probably decades. Change is painful and because of that, NO political party wants to sacrifice the political capital it would cost, so they just keep coming along talking reform, but shyt never changes because the structural issues are never being addressed. This is why BHO and his “prepared statements” offer no real change to believe in. It’s just a catchy phrase from the ConMan-in-chief!

The Progressives have already “fixed” our education system. President Obama helped the children in the DC school district when he got rid of school vouchers. I’m sure those kids appreciated it when they were removed from the nice schools like the ones that Malia and Sasha go to and sent back to the public
schools.

NONE of this Administration’s new reform legislation is perfect or as far-reaching as it ‘should’ be, but just like you can’t lay smooth asphalt on bare ground without first laying down some rough sand/gravel, you can’t perfect legislation without having a better groundwork for it. Such is the case for the new Healthcare, Finance, and now this Education reform.

““Our goal isn’t to fire or admonish teachers,” Mr. Obama said.

Rather, he said the “Race to the Top” program, which provides additional federal funds to local schools that meet administration standards — and a companion effort to overhaul the nation’s 5,000 worst schools — were ultimately aimed at giving good teachers higher salaries, more support, from supplies to smaller classes, and more training to provide them with career opportunities and financial rewards. About $4 billion is being invested in each initiative. ”

Has anyone here EVER seen this much $$$ being spent on schools by an Administration? It’s loooong overdue…and yes, it is JUST a first step forward, but we’ve been moonwalking downhill for so long that this is a HUGE first step back to the top.

@Johnny_walker. Actually the No Child Left Behind act under Bush increased the education budget from 42Bil to 55Bil from ’01-’04. Also the Individual With Disabilities act was increased to 10Bil in the same time period. Now without taking into account the amount of money Clinton and GWB41 spent, we can see that spending money is not the problem. The problem is how it’s being spent, and does this money get to the foundational construct of the system for necessary repair. The fact that we need more funding suggests that it doesn’t even come close. One of the biggest obstacles to revamping the system is the POWERFUL UFT and AFT. In NYC, a teacher has to damn near shoot a child before they can be fired. The red tape that the School Chancellor has to go through to even get teachers who are guilty of having sex with students, fired is ridiculous. Read how teachers and the union rapes the tax payers.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/22/new-york-teachers-paid-to_n_219336.html

Of course, Democrats including BHO are in the pockets of the Unions, and therefore, they pay more lip service to real reform, than offer up real change anyone can believe in.

@_A_
Obama is doing EXACTLY what you say he isn’t. You said: “NO political party wants to sacrifice the political capital it would cost…”

Why do you think Obama’s approval ratings are so low? A large part of that is because he IS tackling these huge, complicated issues that will take years to fully realize (and improve), he IS risking his ‘political capital’ to make this stuff happen.

The problem is that a large swath of the Public is too ignorant (or just plain stupid) to comprehend that there is no such thing as ‘instant and lasting gratification;’ these things take TIME (which is why I think Obama is tackling all of these reforms so early in his term-he wants to see it through).

You also said: “shyt never changes because the structural issues are never being addressed”

Teachers, class materials, and the classroom are three of the most important pieces of the puzzle when we talk about the ‘structure’ of education. This legislation aims to improve them all. So what is your argument?

That you want this reform to cover every single issue that we ALL have faced and fix them immediately?? lmao

I really hope that’s not your argument. Government doesn’t work like that…Matter of fact, NOTHING works like that. That’s not reality.

I have to commend the POTUS (and the First Lady for that matter) for dismantling NCLB and contributing to the establishment of a higher, attainable level of scholastic achievement for this country’s children. I didn’t know this type of reform was even in the works.

We need it.

_A_
ugh…Thanks for the link. I remember hearing about that, but reading it again is disgusting…

I don’t know much about Obama’s ties with Teacher’s Unions currently, but I do know that they aren’t the best of friends anymore..not with Obama (seemingly) blaming teachers for all the bad schools:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/05/education/05teachers.html
http://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2010/07/teachers_union_chief_blasts_ob.html

(They pull major weight, but Obama isn’t making them too happy of late..I think that’s a good thing)

I also know that teachers are being fired by the hundreds in my area DC/MD for negligence and low credentials (can’t speak on NYC)..

Point is…this IS change I can believe in. NCLB was bullsh*t from the beginning. I was (un)lucky enough to teach under it. You wouldn’t believe how many “good” teachers CHEATED that system. It just made the achievement gap wider in my states..

In any case, my argument is just that things look ‘better’ than they have. We’re not a Utopia yet, but I like (most of) the changes we’ve made during this Administration.

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At National Urban League Convention … [...]

@Johnny_Walker, don’t confuse Rhetoric with action. Blaming teachers has been going on for a very long time, but the fact is, Democrats are the Unions best friend. Republicans have been trying to bust up unions, mainly the UAW for a long time, and they have always sought refuge in the dem party. Sort of like blacks. So even though BHO makes a speech here and there about how teachers are failing, nothing is EVER done to facilitate real change. Unions deliver LOTS of votes to politicians due to their membership, but they aren’t “married” to the dems, meaning they will leverage their power by threatening to withhold the voting block, if they need to.

There must be some anamoly in the DC area with teachers being fired, but you won’t see that type of mass firing in the major metro areas of the country. NCLB was indeed BS, but I contend that whatever BHO presents, won’t be any better. Johnny, is a game of perception. These plans get headlines but never seem to make headway. Keep your eyes open. Firing teachers is reaching for the low hanging fruit. It’s easy to blame other victims of a failed system to deflect having to deal with the real issues.

@_A_
I have to agree with you actually. The ONLY thing I have to say that differs from your most recent comment is that with NCLB, it was painfully obvious to see that it would fail.

I didn’t know a single teacher who thought it was a good idea; whereas this new reform seems to have a few simple and overt targets that can be attained simply by ‘throwing money at it’…and usually that’s a horrible tactic, but with schools, money is a major shortcoming (seeing as they’ve stolen so much money from schools in the past-last year too, I think).

But, like you said..I’ll keep my eyes and ears open. Education has NEEDED reform; it’s almost unbearable to wait on it.

I gotta thank ya for the other perspective on Unions, though..of course I double-checked it, but you were spot-on. Unions give crazy heavy donations and votes to the Democratic Party and are likely to use those votes to sway White House decisions..

Gotta wait and see how this thing pans out. Overall though, if those lower achieving 5,000 schools can get a major pick-me-up..I’ll be happy with the improvement, even though much is left to be done.

Well, i disagree with you about the money being the shortcoming..The problem is the application of the money. For instance, in 2007 or 08, the KC school district won a 2b desegregation lawsuit. They proceeded to build new football fields, painted and renovated schools, high tech computer labs and one school even got an olympic sized pool. They now are closing down half the schools in the district due to budget deficits. This is a COMMON problem. Not to mention, MANY school districts got swept up with the Mortgage Back Security scheme by Wall street http://www.alternet.org/economy/140208/the_looting_of_america:_how_wall_street_fleeced_millions_from_wisconsin_schools/

See brother, again, unless we get to the foundation which is what is truly failing, all this lip service being paid is tantamount to replacing the windows and doors and slapping new coats of paint on the house. I believe the WH is correct though in being worried about the US system lagging behind China and India though. John Stosell has a doc**entary called “stupid in America” which I found very enlightening.

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Gud shlt _A_

thanx 4 the links and the info

keep it coming

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform [...]

Amen President Obama, Fact 1, pretty soon you will not be able to work in McDonalds’ without a 2yr degree. You have countries in Asia who demand nothing but the best out of their students and as well they should, while it may seem like the work is never ending, the rewards are much greater. A higher paying job, respect from your peers, the feeling of accomplishment. Another thing I would like to point out is this, the government is giving all this money to states for the redevelopment of schools, but far too often, many state and local officials are holding funds hostage or renewing schools outside of the intended districts. To be clearer, a lot of upper class neighborhoods are more than likely to get this money before inner city schools would. It’s a shame how each year, the government sets aside funds for failing communities and still they look like hell. And the teachers that were hired for the purpose of teaching the kids, well a paycheck is what gets them to work every morning and back at home when the bell sounds. We need more teachers who care for the well being of these kids and not just a paycheck every two weeks.

I love educated black men…..

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At NUL Convention [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At NUL Convention [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At NUL Convention [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At NUL Convention [...]

[...] Obama Defends Education Reform At NUL Convention [...]

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