(Guest blogger Laura Bornfreund is a Fordham Fellow at the Thomas B. Fordham Institute)
President Barack Obama just wrapped up an education speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Reaffirming his commitment to improving the quality of education, the President says (with my emphasis):
America will not remain true to its highest ideals--and America's place as a global economic leader will be put at risk--unless we not only bring down the crushing cost of health care and transform the way we use energy, but also do a far better job than we have been doing of educating our sons and daughters; unless we give them the knowledge and skills they need in this new and changing world.
And, here:
So let there be no doubt: the future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens--and my fellow Americans, we have everything we need to be that nation.
Obama also called out the "partisanship and petty bickering" surrounding education reform issues:
Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom. Too many in the Republican Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its importance. It's more money versus more reform, vouchers versus the status quo.
While no new initiatives or proposals were announced, I am happy to see that Obama is keeping education reform as a top issue on his agenda. From my perspective, one of the most significant points he made was on tenure:
Let me be clear: if a teacher is given a chance but still does not improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue teaching. I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences. The stakes are too high. We can afford nothing but the best when it comes to our children's teachers and to the schools where they teach.
He also called for "states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place." He also remarked on the importance of "rigorous selection and review."
Once again, he addressed students, telling them that "dropping out is quitting on yourself, its quitting on your country."?? And, then he pointed to budget investments to be made in "developing new strategies to make sure at-risk students don't give up on their education; new efforts to give dropouts who want to return to school the help they need to graduate; and new ways to put those young men and women who have left school back on a pathway to graduation."
Given the number of dropouts each year, I believe this to be a critical area for research on "what works" and for evaluation of how best practices can be brought to scale.