jackiedoherty.org

There are currently 2 responses to “Candidates view on NCLB important”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

1. 1 On June 5th, 2007, Patrick Murphy said:

   Dear Jackie,

   I spoke with the Lowell Sun on Friday for over an half hour about my candidacy, but more particularly about education for Monday’s article. I went into great detail with my education proposals, but this was not reflected in either articles run by the Sun on Saturday or Monday. In fact, I was not even included in the graphic of summarized positions in the paper edition, perhaps because they were the most comprehensive and nuanced. Unfortunately I did not get a chance to elaborate on my plans at the debate tonight, partly because of the format and partly because I am just getting started. In any case, I would like to restore my policies to their proper context.

   A worthwhile education is first a transmission of ideas through which we view the world, of clarified convictions, of who we are and how we are to live. Without wisdom, knowledge and ideas become useless or worse, dangerous things indeed. We have scientists, for example, working on the development of all kinds of cures for debilitating diseases and yet we also have scientists in this country perfecting so-called low-yield nuclear weapons. We have tiny technologies emerging that connect people from around the world, and yet we grow ever more distant from neighbors and strangers on the street. So while many argue for education to spur economic growth and for greater emphasis on math and science, we will do well to remember also that no amount of money or organization or administration will solve the problems of our education system without an education that gives us values and ideas by which to live.

   Having said that, I see a need for the role of the federal government in education to be turned on its head. Its main role now is really in higher education, and although the No Child Left Behind Act expands its involvement in primary and secondary education, it gives no indication of where we are going. As I said in Friday’s interview, but was not quoted in Monday’s article, I believe that the No Child Left Behind Act must be completely reworked.

   I would propose that:

   1. We sever the link between education funding and local property taxes. This revenue when combined with state funding (though much less) makes up the majority of funding and leaves the quality of our education system subject to fluctuations in the market. It also leaves the schools with the greatest need the least amount of help.

   2. We shift our federal emphasis to early education, starting with preschool opportunities.

   3. We shift focus from rote preparation for standardized tests to a true high-quality education by reducing class sizes, recruiting and retaining well-qualified teachers, building and updating school buildings, and funding both alternative education and that for individuals with disabilities. We retain teachers by creating better work environments—more freedom for their creativity, smaller class sizes, better pay, guaranteed health insurance (under my expansion of Medicare for all) and loan forgiveness programs.

   4. We expand the 180 day agrarian calendar to allow for more thorough coverage of material, more flexibility for teachers in developing their curriculums, a less-pressurized atmosphere, and deeper teacher-student relationships key to a child’s progress. We honor and pay teachers professionally for this even greater commitment.

   5. We reverse the perverse system of penalties in the NCLB Act which fails to address the root causes of the problem—, and we oppose any sort of vouchers which not only fail to improve public schools, but strip them of their ability to improve.

   6. We similarly oppose increasing Pell Grants and tax credits for college
   students attending private universities because of the arbitrariness of tuition hikes which have been shown to spike with higher grants. (This was the only part of my plan mentioned in the article, and with no explanation, which is necessary. I disagree that yes or no answers make for the best debate because they don’t allow for sophisticated arguments in defense of one’s policies. The more the federal government issues in grants, the more universities feel they can charge without being subject to any standards or cost-control mechanisms. They can raise tuition at any time, by any amount.) We have to examine costs of a college education more closely and their loan practices. I would support raising the grants for public universities, over which the government does hold some power, and extending to the top quarter or third of graduating high school students a more affordable opportunity to attend our public universities. (This last measure would be under the state’s jurisdiction)

   We must also acknowledge that education is both invaluable to and inseparable from a number of other policy areas including the war (encouraging critical thinking, the ability to analyze arguments, citizenship and other important democratic values: those things which cannot be measured with tests); the environment (teaching the science of these problems, moral obligations and responsibilities); health care (lending more importance to lifelong habits and responsibilities through health and physical education programs, as well more nutritional options or lack of options in school cafeterias); housing and work (of obvious importance) and that all of these must act in concert with one another to achieve our goals.

   I’m not sure that voters are particularly interested in our personal backgrounds so much as our policy proposals, but everyone seemed to talk about theirs tonight. If they are, I will just say briefly that I was educated in the public and private school systems, attending Phillips Academy in Andover on scholarship. At age sixteen, I began working with my cousins as a masonry laborer, and after high school, paid my way through a year at American University, Trinity College Dublin and Emory University with scholarships and my own labor. No matter where I went, I found the college system to be much like our political system: a superficial, fundamentally flawed and corrupt business. Always learning from my experiences, I returned several years ago to work with my cousins as a brick- and stone mason. I am forever learning. I learned quite a bit tonight. And my education remains happily unfinished.

   Thank you for the opportunity to post my ideas.

   All the best,
   Patrick

2. 2 On June 5th, 2007, Jamie Eldridge said:

   Jackie,

   I would like you to see my education plan, and if you or anyone have questions please contact my Communications Director Greg LaManna at gregl@jamieforcongress.

   Bests,
   Jamie
   http://www.jamieforcongress.com

   Jamie Eldridge: A Real Commitment to Education

   Our collective future depends on ensuring quality educational opportunities for every young person at every level of schooling. Despite widespread agreement with this fact, we are falling behind – we are shortchanging our schools, and too many of our next generation.

   The Federal Government – in this and many other areas – has abdicated its responsibility to our schools and our communities. As a result, the burden of paying for schools has fallen too much on local communities, working families, and seniors. Furthermore, federal and state governments approach to testing children on educational standards are making too many children feel left out, isolated and uninterested in learning, while the necessary skills and knowledge that kids need to succeed are being marginalized. This can and must change now.

   With the right leadership, the United States can again be the world leaders in education. I’ve taken action and concrete steps as a Representative to help our towns improve education:

   * Lead sponsor of the “Massachusetts Acton Plan” for Chapter 70 Funding, requiring minimum state education aid for all communities to reduce reliance on property taxes. In the 2007 Budget, I helped secure an increase of $173 million for our local schools, and established minimum state education aid for all Massachusetts communities.
   * Helped increase the “Special Education Circuit Breaker” to give towns more assistance from the state to protect against rising special education costs, while ensuring that all children receive a great education.
   * Helped pass the School Building Assistance Bureau (SBAB) reform that gives towns quick reimbursements (up to 10 years earlier) for building school facilities, saving communities thousands of dollars in interest payments while improving the surroundings where children learn.
   * Supported $4.6 million for pilot funding for the Massachusetts Universal Pre-Kindergarten (MA UPK) Program in the FY07 state budget.

   If we really care about creating excellent schools at all levels, we need to stop talking about how important education is and start to ensure that our schools have the resources and our teachers have the training and support necessary to succeed.

   -Jamie

   The Jamie Eldridge Plan:

   1. Drastically Increase Resources
   2. Innovate
   3. Make Graduation a Top Priority
   4. Renew Our Commitment to Teachers
   5. Affordable, Quality Higher Education
   6. Provide Educational Access to Veterans

   Drastically Increase Resources

   Problem:

   The federal government simply has not done enough to improve education. The No Child Left Behind Act placed new burdens on local schools, then failed to provide the funding, leaving local school districts in an unfair situation. Schools across the country are literally falling apart, destroying learning potential, posing health risks and making staff retention nearly impossible. The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) provides important services to those with disabilities in the public school system, but the federal government has not met its promise to fund this program at 40%, and the cost has been passed onto the citizens through higher property taxes.

   Solutions:

   * Fully fund the “No Child Left Behind Act” but amend its unreasonable requirements, including national testing requirements.
   * Support America’s Better Classroom Act to provide $24.8 Billion in funding to make school buildings safe and modern.
   * Fully fund The Individuals with Disabilities Act, and increase aid to local governments to enable them to reduce skyrocketing property taxes.
   * Fully fund high-quality, universal preschool and full day kindergarten,
   * Target additional resources to disadvantaged students who are struggling to reach state standards.

   Innovate

   Problem:

   Real improvements in education won’t come just from additional money. The fundamental design of our educational system is outdated and does not adequately prepare students to compete in the modern global economy. Students cannot simply be testing-taking machines; instead we must cultivate the natural curiosity of youth and inspire creative thinking. Unfortunately, students often simply do not have enough class room time to make a sound educational foundation possible.

   Solutions:

   * Abolish national testing requirements, so our teachers teach students instead of teaching tests, and give responsibility for our children’s education back to local communities.
   * Support federal funding to establish universal pre-kindergarten for all children.
   * Support programs to voluntarily extend the length of the school day, like Mass 2020 has successfully done here in Massachusetts. This is especially helpful with increasing classroom time for the arts and music.
   * Eliminate the digital divide by ensuring that every Massachusetts classroom has up-to-date technology.
   * Establish a new process for school audits and school improvements that is tailored to the individual school – not a one-size-fits-all approach – and includes teachers, parents and community members
   * Increase career education and workforce readiness programs in schools so that students see the connection between school and careers after graduation,
   * Oppose the private school voucher plans promoted by the President and Republicans in Congress.

   Make Graduation a Top Priority

   Problem:

   About 30 percent of high school students drop out before graduation, meaning about one million American students fail to graduate from high school every year. Only five in ten African-American and Hispanic students graduate on time with a standard diploma, and less than one-half of American Indian and Alaska Native students complete high school.

   Studies show that each class of high school dropouts costs the nation more than $200 billion in lost wages and tax revenues, as well as spending for social support programs. High school dropouts have an earnings disadvantage that often remain with them throughout their lives. Without the required education to obtain a good-paying job, high school dropouts often face a bleak future. The majority of inmates at state and federal prisons failed to complete high school.

   Solutions:

   * Make high school graduation a national priority by investing $10 billion over the next 10 years to support dropout prevention programs, starting with $1 billion appropriation in FY08.
   * Establish and fund high school graduation centers for students 19-21 years old.
   * Address the literacy problems leading to high school dropouts, such as through the NEA’s Striving Readers program.
   * Monitor, accurately report, and work to reduce dropout rates by gathering accurate data for key student groups (e.g., racial, ethnic, and economic), establishing benchmarks in each state for eliminating drop outs, and adopting the standardized reporting method developed by the National Governors Association.
   * Expand students’ graduation options through creative partnerships with community colleges in career and technical fields and with alternative schools.

   Renew Our Commitment to Teachers

   Problem:

   The teaching profession is too often taken for granted. Education is the bedrock of society, yet our educators are not rewarded in proportion to the importance of their work. Study after study shows that the skills and knowledge of teachers are the single biggest determiner in how well students learn. Federal policy should be directed toward providing states and school districts the resources and technical assistance to create an effective program of professional development and professional accountability for all employees. Tenure at major universities has been the lynchpin of academic freedom and vigorous debate, but funding cuts have forced educational institutions into temporary hiring. Funding cuts also force teachers at the most at-risk schools to manage out of control class sizes, shortchanging the students of necessary individual attention. Simply put, we must do more to attract and retain high-quality teachers and to support them when in the classroom.

   Solutions:

   * Act now to reduce class sizes to give both students and teachers a much better chance at success.
   * Support federal incentives like loan forgiveness and tax credits to attract high-quality professionals to the teaching profession, especially in high-need urban areas such as Lowell and Lawrence.
   * Support legislation to expand and make permanent the tax deduction for educators’ out-of-pocket classroom supply expenses.
   * Ensure that teacher wages are attractive and fair, so as to ensure high-quality educators and keep our valued teachers in schools and with our children.
   * Support efforts to keep strong traditions of academic freedom and integrity.
   * Work with PTAs and other organizations to get parents more involved in their children’s education.

   Higher Education Affordability and Investment

   Problem:

   Federal aid for students who want to attend college has wrongly changed from grants to student loans over the last 20 years. This limits families’ ability to afford a college education, and then restricts job opportunities after graduation when students must turn away from public service in order to pay very high loan payments. As public universities, long seen as the “affordable” option, have to raise their tuition to make up for severe state budget cutbacks, the ability for low-income individuals to pay for college becomes an even greater challenge. When the Pell Grant program was first created, the maximum grant for the poorest students covered 84 percent of the cost of a public four-year college. Today, it covers only 39 percent. Public universities such as UMass-Lowell have trouble keeping up with their private competition without government support, and have gone for decades without new academic buildings. Making matters worse, our commitment to science and math education that fuels industry is decreasing.

   Solutions:

   * Fight for lower interest rates and expanded funds students loans and grants – Pell Grants, SEOG, Work Study, GEAR UP, and TRIO
   * More federal funding for public universities, for capital costs (new academic buildings) and curriculum and additional faculty and staff.
   * Support increased federal investment in math and science courses in community colleges across the country, to help boost workforce in computers and technology industries.
   * Provide loans to students who enter into fields in the public interest. Students who choose to teach in urban areas, practice indigent law, and work as doctors in low income areas should be aided by the government, and the longer they work in these areas, the greater share of their loans will be forgiven.
   * The U.S. House of Representatives has yet to consider the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA). In the wake of $12 billion in cuts made last session in student aid programs, Congress must reverse direction or else we will erase years of progress in making higher education more affordable and accessible.

   Provide Educational Access to Veterans

   Problem:

   We are unprepared to fully help our veterans and their families upon return from Iraq.

   Solutions:

   * Increase the amount of educational assistance for veterans under the Montgomery G.I. Bill and enhance VA programs providing educational benefits.
   * Expand the eligibility for the GI Bill to include the spouse and children of veterans.