On Saturday (Spetember24, 2011) President Obama in his weekly Saturday address to the nation discussed making changes to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) policy and spending billions of dollars to upgrade schools and keep teachers on their jobs[i]
As part of his $447 billion jobs bill that was proposed to Congress, President Obama argues that investing in education is vital to the country’s future economic viability. According to President Obama :
“If we are serious about building an economy that lasts, an
economy in which hard work pays off with the opportunity
for solid middle-class jobs, we had better be serious about
education[ii].
This proposal is a deliberate act by President Obama to force Congress to vote on his jobs bill and educational agenda. This is a shrewd move on the President’s part because with all the financial problems plaguing public education, placing education as a key component to the jobs bill will force Congress to pass parts of the bill that is favorable to President Obama’s educational agenda.
A second part of President Obama’s shrewd plan was to authorize states to opt out of the proficiency standards of NCLB legislation. If states have developed their own standards for preparing students for college and careers and developed evaluation standards for teachers and principals, they will be allowed to opt out[iii]. In doing this, President Obama begins dismantling the unpopular NCLB Act that stifled innovation in the classroom, frustrated administrators, teachers, and parents, and led to a number of cheating scandals.
The final part of President Obama’s shrewd plan was to include in the jobs bill funds to repair and upgrade school infrastructure and to rehire teachers. Understanding that our country’s economic future is being jeopardized by our public educational system, the jobs bill will provide school districts with the necessary funds to build or upgrade schools with wireless technology, Smart Board technology, and modern science labs. Since our students have fallen behind other countries in math and science and our college graduation rate has dropped significantly, providing students with appropriate school facilities could reverse these trends.
President Obama’s shrewd educational plan will hopefully get people back to work and help to get students back on track to leading the world in math and science. By providing students with access to first class facilities, it is hoped that academic achievement will increase and lead to graduates who can compete in the global economy.
With the toxic environment in Congress, President Obama understood that in order to gets his educational plan moving without a lengthy fight with Congress, he would have to propose a bill that would force Congress to approve.
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