A Cheat Sheet for Our Presidential Candidates
While the focus of the political campaigns for the 2008 presidential election has justifiably been on economic issues and national security, one has to wonder whether the state of America's public schools will become a focal point before the general election occurs. Realistically though, the range of domestic and foreign policy concerns is so great and diverse that time and space may actually prevent comprehensive dialogue about the state of our schools. The task for those of us who care deeply about public education is to continue to define and communicate our priorities and proposals to the candidates over and over again. As advocates for and practitioners in education, we must be adamant about making sure that the academic needs of students in rural, urban, and suburban communities are represented as we embark upon electing our next President. Fulfilling our priorities will require substantial resources and leadership commitment at the highest levels of our federal government.
To prepare our youth for lives and careers in a world that is globally connected across cultures, disciplines, sectors, industries, and professions, our school systems will have to recruit, train, and retain highly qualified teaching professionals. To produce world class schools, the infrastructure and physical capacities of school environments must be substantially upgraded to reflect the technological, educational, and operational demands that are currently overwhelming so many educators. To address the different learning styles and paces of diverse groups of students, the solution is not to impose more burdensome tests, instead we need creative approaches that allow classroom teachers more room for flexibility and innovation in their curriculums and classroom pedagogy. By providing adequate tools and resources for schools, classroom teachers, and students, we can begin to attain the uniformity and academic excellence in schools that we so urgently desire all across the country.
To prepare our youth for lives and careers in a world that is globally connected across cultures, disciplines, sectors, industries, and professions, our school systems will have to recruit, train, and retain highly qualified teaching professionals. To produce world class schools, the infrastructure and physical capacities of school environments must be substantially upgraded to reflect the technological, educational, and operational demands that are currently overwhelming so many educators. To address the different learning styles and paces of diverse groups of students, the solution is not to impose more burdensome tests, instead we need creative approaches that allow classroom teachers more room for flexibility and innovation in their curriculums and classroom pedagogy. By providing adequate tools and resources for schools, classroom teachers, and students, we can begin to attain the uniformity and academic excellence in schools that we so urgently desire all across the country.
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