Education
From Pete Ashdown Campaign Collaboration Wiki
Education not only contributes to the economy but also to stable families. Attacking ignorance serves to unite America. Public schools should be havens for children; free from hunger, bad nutrition, and propaganda. Education is the best long term investment we can make for a better tomorrow, but invested funds must be spent wisely.
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[edit] Models
Education is key to our future as an economic power. Following a model of public education that works is one way to address current problems. There are public and private schools in the United States that are succeeding with broad educational goals. Models also exist in other developed countries where they are able to produce high student performance without necessarily outspending other nations. The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development recently authored a report on learning skills amongst 15-year-olds in 41 countries. The United States ranked in the bottom third. Interestingly, the Czech Republic ranked in the top ten, but spends one third per student what the U.S. spends.
Education takes place in the non-school hours, not just during school. A comprehensive education strategy should support the growth of comprehensive learning, mentoring and experience programs in neighborhoods where there are high numbers of poorly performing schools or high rates of high school drop outs.
Education is also a responsibility to industry and keeping youth from dropping out of school or on a path to careers requires the involvement of businesses who provide volunteers to be tutors/mentors, jobs and internships to build career aspirations and skills, and dollars to support the operations of non school programs as well as school based learning.
Leadership should use maps of a community to show that services, and funding, is being distributed into all neighborhoods where resources are needed to support the growth of school based and non-school learning opportunities.
[edit] Federal Role
[edit] Unfunded Mandates
All federal laws and policies related to public education should be accompanied by sufficient funds to ensure that they can be carried out by state and local governments. For example, it is wrong for the federal government to require schools to test students and then not supply the resources necessary to administer those tests. If the federal government is not willing to supply the necessary funds to meet the mandates it makes to states and local school districts, then those mandates should be revised or eliminated.
[edit] The Department of Education
Federal micromanagement of local school systems should end. There is no doubt of the difference that more funding would make on our educational system, but Federal funds should not be a reward for test scores which may or may not be representative of actual ability. Instead Department of Education should be an advocate for working system and a disburser of funds, directed towards need with a watchful eye on waste. Local officials should be able to take a greater role in requesting funds; for example, Utah's looming teacher shortage could be address by the legislature or school districts applying for Federal funds allocated for distinct needs. In addition, the Department of Education needs to do a better job of facilitating the adoption of successful school models. However, modeling is not the sole remedy for turning education around in the United States. Much more needs to be done, and education must assume a higher place on the governmental priority list.
[edit] Keeping Young Americans Safe and Healthy
In my own experience, I have seen crumbling schools and cafeterias outsourced to the lowest bidder. I am also concerned by the invasion of marketing disguised as coursework, and desperate school districts making deals with vendors of bad nutrition. We must take action to keep our children safe and healthy and reduce the dependence of local schools on marketing to find the funds they need to educate America's youth.
[edit] Civic Education
The public should be encouraged to participate in the political system, and I believe this must start through education. To prevent our children from growing increasingly disenfranchised with government and political issues, I believe it's time to think creatively about how to ignite our children to be passionately involved with community issues. Today's children are a "technology generation," increasingly networked, using technologies we couldn't have dreamed of when we were young. We need to learn how to connect them back into community issues using these technologies that they've grown so familiar with. With my experience and knowledge in this area, I can be especially effective in Washington.
OCED PISA Report Comparing Learning Skills in 41 Countries
Deseret Morning News - Are Short Lunches Bad For Children?
Salt Lake Tribune February 3, 2006 Study foresees teacher shortage
