Obama Calls for Sweeping Overhaul in Education Law

[tonysam]

You need to get rid of it, Barack, and dump your suckretary of education while you're at it:

By announcing that he would send his education blueprint to Congress on Monday, President Obama returned to a campaign promise to repair the sprawling federal law, which affects each of the nation’s nearly 100,000 public schools. His plan strikes a careful balance, retaining some key features of the Bush-era law, including its requirement for annual reading and math tests, while proposing far-reaching changes.

The administration would replace the law’s pass-fail school grading system with one that would measure individual students’ academic growth and judge schools based not on test scores alone but also on indicators like pupil attendance, graduation rates and learning climate. And while the proposal calls for more vigorous interventions in failing schools, it would also reward top performers and lessen federal interference in tens of thousands of reasonably well-run schools in the middle.

In addition, President Obama would replace the law’s requirement that every American child reach proficiency in reading and math, which administration officials have called utopian, with a new national target that could prove equally elusive: that all students should graduate from high school prepared for college and a career.

More from NYT

The LAST thing we need is having people "prepared" for college--we need vocational training for those who do not want to waste their money on college.

He's clueless as always.

[Chemisse]

1. Prepared for life beyond high school would be more appropriate

And would be flexible, depending on the abilities and inclinations of the students.

Prepared for life beyond high school could mean being prepared for college, or a skilled job, military enrollment, or even just to have the basic life skills needed to live independently.

[Grand Taurean]

2. Yes he is.

We need Technical Schools. Not everyone is cut out nor desires a four year degree and beyond.
Consider these careers: Electricians, Plumbers, Nurses, Radiology Technicians, etc...
We need more than four year schools Mr. President.

[tonysam]

3. +1,000

The worst thing for people is to train for "careers" that don't exist but force them into monstrous debt.

I'd like to see a big return of vocational training in high schools.

[madrchsod]

4. our regional vocational high school is being cut

state funding is being cut and teachers being laid -off. 600 students from the surrounding cities do`t know if they`ll be able to finish their course next year

[femmocrat]

5. K&R This article is extemely enlightening!!!

More from the article:

"We’ve got to get accountability right this time,” Mr. Duncan told reporters Friday. “For the mass of schools, we want to get rid of prescriptive interventions. We’ll leave it up to them to figure out how to make progress.” (TRANSLATION: YOU'RE ON YOUR OWN!)

And this clip:


"And while leading Congressional Democrats praised the plan, the nation’s two major teachers unions did not. “We are disappointed,” said Dennis Van Roekel, president of the National Education Association. "
(COMMENT: NEA ROLLED OVER AND IT'S COME BACK TO BITE US.)

"Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, said of the proposal, “From everything that we’ve seen, this blueprint places 100 percent of the responsibility on teachers and gives them zero percent of the authority.” "
(COMMENT: AND WE ARE JUST GOING TO TAKE IT AND BEG FOR MORE.)

[Hannah Bell]

6. the teachers' unions all appear to be rolling over. they sent a strongly worded memo.

the rank & file is going to have to lead, cause (imo) the leadership was bought off long ago.

[tonysam]

7. Like they always are for individual teachers. n/t

[Fire1]

8. Well, they're shooting themselves in the foot. Dumbies! n/t

[maryf]

10. Yep, all those dues they are going to lose! nt.

[Fire1]

12. AND jobs!! I bet THEY won't go back into the classroom!! n/t

[Catshrink]

13. We need to start a 3rd unified teachers' union

that has a spine.

[maryf]

14. Amen...

and get our locals to take the first step to this...

[Fire1]

15. Indeed we do! n/t

[maryf]

9. Hear, hear...

Teachers have to hit the streets, and call out the Union heads...The union's job is supposed to be to protect the workers...Ha!!

[maryf]

11. All kids are being prepared

for service industries and cannon fodder. The trade schools are being eliminated so that kids will have to join the military in order to learn to weld or be an electrician....

[Fire1]

16. Well, some actually believe they're ALL going to 'college.'

Riiiight! Wink wink.