8/13/10

President Obama speaks about Education Reform at the National Urban League


The President Obama stated that USA education system is ranked 12th in the world. It is no secret that other countries surpass our children’s knowledge and ability to compete for jobs on a global stage. We must do better. The only question is how.

We live in a time where school budgets are leaner than ever and school systems have furloughed teachers as a cost saving measure. There is little money for professional development or new curriculum. Teachers are digging deep to pay for things out of pocket when they are not getting salary raises to reflect years of experience and pay to reflect the increased cost of living.

Cleary changes are necessary and President Obama’s recognized all of these factors when he talked about Race to the Top. The ambitious plan is designed to change education in this country. It's completely different from No Child Left Behind but just as controversial.


The President announced that part of the initiative includes a nationwide competition by states for federal dollars. The new plan ties teacher evaluation to student performance, adopting common student achievement standards, and charter schools as an alternative to public schools. Currently only 2 states have received federal educational reform money based on this new plan.

Full text of President Obama's speech can be found here:

President on Education Reform at the National Urban League Centennial Conference.

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