Obama Calls for Educational Reforms
No Child Left Behind Being Prepared for Major Overhaul
President Obama and Vice President Biden declared in the educational reform plan document, “Reforming and Strengthening America's Schools for the 21st Century,” that a primary focus of the administration will be to reform No Child Left Behind. Details have been vague as to how this will be done, though they have targeted several specific areas on which to focus.
Focus Areas for Reforming NCLB
Obama and Biden highlight five specific areas for reform that are based on the American Federation of Teachers' recommendations in 2006. These areas are:
- Scaling Choice and Innovation in the Public School System
- Improving College Readiness and Completion
- Investment in Innovation and Technology
- Ensuring Effective Teachers and School Leaders
- Responsibility from Parents and Washington
Scaling choice and innovation refers to the need for students to have access to a variety of quality learning environments. Suggestions currently include providing funds to create a portfolio of a variety of schools that can demonstrate student success.
Improving college readiness is about the need to increase the number of college students who complete their degree. They call for increasing students' access to colleges not only by making it more affordable but by increasing the number of high school students who graduate with a background that will help them be successful in college. This includes improving access to college-level classes such as Advancement (AP) or International Baccalaureate(IB) courses while in high school.
Investing in innovation and technology affirms the need to integrate technology into classrooms as well as developing ways to better identify students' individual needs and talents.
To ensure effective teachers and school leaders Obama and Biden recognize the need to better prepare new teachers, support teachers throughout their careers, and provide support for struggling teachers.
Responsibility is recognized as being needed from parents and government. It highlights the need for parents to be involved with their child's performance and for Washington to be accountable for reporting results and funding the education plan.
Obama Reaching Out to Others for Suggestions
How each of these areas will occur and what Washington will do to make them a reality has not yet been developed. What is currently happening is that Obama's administration is actively seeking input. Education Secretary Arne Duncan is spending the spring of 2009 visiting parents, teachers and students around the US to determine what should or could be done to improve NCLB.
Obama is also requesting comments and suggestions which can be sent to him through a variety of means, including Twitter and Facebook. Instead of relying on Washington to determine the best way to overhaul NCLB he is asking those who live with NCLB and work with it daily to explain what does not work and submit suggestions for change.
Reforming Education
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