Absolutely. My grands colored the walls, carpet, toilet seat, and one even colored her eyelids with fingernail polish. Message is that coloring within the lines is all they do and perhaps get a peek at a book. The government system has failed and overloading it with more babies will only magnify the damage NCLB has done.

Iamnotinsane - I agree with you. BTW, at home I've taught my children it is OK to color outside of the lines. Creativity, innovation and critical thinking skills start with learning to re-define one's own boundaries whenever possible.

Pre-school age children are just babies. Babies should be at home with their parents. Studies show that children who start pre-school are no farther ahead of their peers within two years. Pre-school is in actuality just a baby sitting service and government schools are stretched enough without baby sitting duties. Teach them to color within the lines at home!!!!!

Education is RARELY at the top of the national government's list of priorities. That's why we're in such trouble.

But, realistically, when the economy is in the toilet, they have bigger fish to fry.

You stand a MUCH better chance changing things at your local level. If you haven't tried to make improvements in your school or your district, then don't expect to be taken seriously at a higher level.

I've found it effective to go at it from ALL angles, and I admit I'm making progress. The issue of budgets cuts is actually a positive thing because the message I'm bringing to legislators, lawmakers, and education administrators is offering hope where all else they hear is bleak and dismal about the economy and necessary cuts!

AdvocacyMom *** Thank you, and it's parents like you who just don't talk the talk, but also walk and talk it, You are an inspiration to your children and the parents around you. It just takes 1 person and knowing that you are looking out for not just your child but theirs as well, gives them hope and they will follow. I do realize Obama has alot on his plate, however Schools should be upfront on his agenda, and I am hoping that even if it turns out to be just a handful of people at my state house it will help get the message across. Thank you :)

No offense taken, Winetuscany. And you are absolutely right. This is a great place to exchange ideas, but then we need to walk this talk where it effects the changes we seek. I do this, I believe you do, and I hope others here follow suit (or will follow) as well.

However, it is still very important for people to gather to formulate and exchange ideas, as this is where grass-roots activism and advocacy support begins. Legislative changes are generally only as effective as the attorneys paid to enforce them, as I'm sure you are aware. For those who can't afford attorneys, other resources need to be available.

I expect Obama is going to have huge issues on his plate to contend with, and I'm afraid that education reform will not be at the top of his list. Thus, it will be up to us to remain vigilant and persistent watchdogs over the education of our children.

Incidentally, my oldest son and I have personally been through enough for me to tell you I would not be the least bit surprised at what goes on behind those closed doors. My entire family has fallen victim to those "closed door" cat-scratch sessions in the recent past. It was particularly ugly in our case, but I can assure you they found out they had picked on the wrong "mama bear's" cubs. My school district has since learned not to mess with my family!

It is now my personal mission to teach other parents how to ensure their children are also well-advocated for and protected from the endless games played by education personnel who are more interested in securing their pension plans than in the welfare of the students they have been payed by the taxpayers to educate.

Knowledge is power!

Personally, I'd be happier to see NCLB disappear. Remember, this is just my personal opinion for whatever it may be worth. I am an Instructional Assistant at a nearby elementary school and it disgusts me how much 'testing' must be done in order to comply with NCLB. The unfortunate side of 'standardized testing' is that students who fail to perform to standards make it impossible for the rest who do well to get the much deserved break they need and get money for the school to run efficiently. The negativity that goes along with not doing well (and the kids know when they've failed) also get left further behind and don't get the attention they need.

Everyone has high expectations of what we want for our children with President Elect Obama, however you can implement programs in schools and expect that the teaching staff will follow suit, if you believe this then *No offense meant here* you are in fairy tale land. What I mean is since I worked in the school system, teachers don't always follow the rules and if you as parents don't get more involved, write to your state reps, congress and make sure their on the ball then all the talk we do on here means wasted typing and breathes we take. I have worked with Special needs children, children that need extra help, every catagory you can think of. YOU, need to be vocal at school meetings, keep up with what is going on. Write, write, write, my stamps are worth it, my emails get answered. These are YOUR schools, not theirs. This is where your child/children spend most of their time. Please, please..be visable at your schools, make sure what is implemented is carried out. The things that are done behind closed doors would surprise you. I am staying postive, but I am also untrusting, I have seen to much. Remember it's up to you and your children to make sure the schools run as they should.
Thanks for listening :)

Iamnotinsane - My deepest apologies for any misunderstanding. Please allow me to clarify:

I would never think of any child as a "throw-away" ... this term (perhaps an unfortunate choice on my part) was regarding an inference from a previous post that some children should be eliminated from the system if they don't "make the grade" (so to speak), which I completely disagree with. NO CHILD IS A THROW AWAY, and it is offensive to me that anyone would consider such a thing.

I ran into a situation similar to yours with my oldest son a few years ago, whose IQ I also suspect was higher than that of some of his Grade 4 teachers. There are differences between your situation and mine, however, I think. In addition to being intellectually gifted, my son has ADHD. This combination of giftedness/ADHD resulted in quite a difficult situation with one teacher in particular, because she felt my child was too bright to receive education accommodations - that he was merely being lazy and defiant. In fact, we later validated medical diagnoses confirming he had physical limitations preventing him from completing his written work in class (later correctecd by occupational therapy, some of which was provided by the education accommodations he was previously refused), and he was frustrated with the teacher constantly accusing him of lying and singling him out for unqualified negative attention in front of his peers. The teacher, an adult in her 30's, lost a battle of wills with a 9-year old child who was merely too socially unsophisticated (although not intellectually unsophisticated) to effectively communicate his difficulties in a way the teacher was willing to help him with. She taught him learned helplessness in her classroom: he thus learned the only way to get her attention was through negative behavior. We spent an entire year cleaning up after the mess this teacher made with our son. The good news is that after moving him to a new school with well-trained and caring teachers, he once again became an A/B student and is now doing quite well.

Regardless of intellectual capacity, no child should be considered not worth teaching, and no teacher has the right to make such a determination. Sadly, it appears not everyone would agree with you or I in this.

For Advocacy Mom. The child was not a throw away....he possesses a very high IQ....sometimes being smarter than your 3rd grade teacher and perceptive to accommodate the intellect and non-acceptance of work sheets instead of lessons raises great concern for the parents. The child had been out of the country in an International School for two years, the principal knew his capabilities but yet refused to accommodate the parents request to promote him to a higher level. Parents lose all control when their children are in the public school system. We have experience with both. Until there is no longer a union run educational system we are spinning our wheels. Teaching to test is what NCLB got us.

Iamnotinsane - I'm with you. All of our children are precious, and none are "throw-aways". Our future depends upon how we encourage their minds to develop.

Meanwhile, In developing solutions to our current American education system crises, it is most important for all of us to come together from a general point of agreement that something is wrong and needs to be changed. From that point, a large and diverse collective body of positively motivated individuals need to brainstorm together in considering as many possibilities as can be gathered for solutions to effective change. This must include ideas and feedback not only from educators, administrators and legislators, but also from parents, students (or at least older students) and all who work with children who have special learning needs. Not all ideas will be viable, but this is where the "weeding-out" process can begin, to be applied towards strategizing for effective changes. This is really part of what we are all doing here, isn't it? : )

Will this cost money? You bet! More money? Perhaps ... but how much more will depend upon the strength of new policies that must be enacted to ensure full financial accountability and monitoring to the taxpayers/parents of students from our state governments and education administrators. We cannot afford to be blind to the reality that there exists significant fraud, waste, abuse, and misallocation of tax dollars currently funding public education in our country. We cannot allow this to continue, and we truly cannot afford to continue repeating past mistakes.

Educating our children from within the confines of a top-down dictatorial public education system, such as that which is currently in place, is one large mistake that has clearly failed our children for generations. I strongly believe this type of institutional thinking has served to undermine the core democatic values of our nation - the very same values that educators are supposed to be teaching our children in school! And as any parent who is doing a succesful job of raising children knows, children learn far more from what we DO than from what we say.

Amen Advocacy Mom. My daughter was told by the principal that her son did not belong in that school if she expected his mind to be challenged and teachers to regularly come to school (teacher missed 25 days, not sick). He further stated that this was not a private school. Any suggestions by highly educated professional parents are disregarded as "being disgruntled." BTW, the kid is in an elite private school now and is thriving with all A's. You bet, it is a financial challenge but a mind is a terrible thing to waste. I cite only one example....there are many more.

By the way, in reference to GammaB's statement ...

"Teachers should be highly respected by parents and students. This system is based on the British system of education."

... the true origins of our current public education system began with New England's adaptation of the Prussian public education system of the early 19th century.

GammaB, I must respectfully dissent with your perspective. Sweeping changes must be made, yes, but in such a way that you hold minor children totally responsible for the failings of the public education system? Sorry, I cannot agree with you.

I do not place sole blame on educators, administrators, or parents for the failings of the sytem currently in place, but I do believe that collective responsibility and accountablity for needed changes among all adult parties is justified. Placing responsibility for such failings upon the shoulders of our youth, who truly have no such control for the actions of the adult role models they learn from, is not only harsh, but totally ludicrous.

The privilege of education is a two-way street. We taxpayers pay for this privilege, and our federal and state laws in place further enforce this taxpayer-funded privilege as a right. Our educators and administrators must earn the privilege of not only teaching our children, but also learning from them and from their parents (yes, you read this correctly). A top-down dictatorial education system is a recipe for catastrophic failure of not only the educational futures of our children, but also the economic and political failure of our nation.

Obama should get the educational system requirements standardized throughout the country and have a standardized curriculum stressing readin', writin', 'rithmetic and social studies. At each grade level, there should be a standardized test--the same throughout the country--at the end of the year. Anyone who does not pass 2 subjects takes them in summer school. If the student does not pass in summer school, s/he repeats the year. If s/he fails a second time, s/he can no longer go to school. The fallacy in the educational system is that education is a right. It is not. Education is a privilege and should be treated as such. Teachers should be highly respected by parents and students. This system is based on the British system of education. This system would eliminate much of the bureaucracy in the school system that eats up dollars that should be used for education. It would also eliminate students who have no desire to be in school and are disruptive in class. This may sound harsh, but improving the school system requires drastic measures. Obama could implement this plan over 12 years to change the mindset of parents, educators, students in this country. Maybe then our kids could compete with the foreign students who breeze through our universities.

Lillian, your community is blessed. In what state do you live and what means of taxes support your school system? We might want to move there. We, too have an IB program in our system but it is managed by the same administration so I don't expect too much success. Private schools are thriving here so in comparison to what you say, it give me further data to strengthen my debate as I am in a very high technology city and our administration seems to be more concerned with new buildings or new paint than attracting qualified teachers. Also is your public school system solvent? Many are on the brink of collapse and screaming for more money. We have magnet schools that offer high levels of the arts, foreign language and science but the enrollment is lagging as parents are not willing to do the "logistics" to get their kids across town. Our private school offers several of the extra curriculum of the things you mention plus a chess club. With all the sports you mentioned, when do they have academics and how are the sports programs funded? Every state is different and each system in our state runs its own show and differs on how to interpret NCLB. Never, ever take test scores as a measurement as teaching to test is about the only common philosophy among the nations public schools handed to us with NCLB legislation.

Iamnotinsane,

In the community where I live, there are three private schools a high school student, such as my son, can attend. One is a school for the highly gifted, and the child has to have a gifted IQ, as demonstrated through testing, in order to get in. My son does not have an IQ that tests in the gifted range. Another high school is a Christian high school, and I know two parents, who have removed their children from that school because of the incessant bullying that goes on between students. And the other high school is an international high school that has just opened and has about fifty students in grades nine through twelve. Whether or not this school will survive or be able to provide a quality education for its students has yet to be seen.

On the other hand, the public schools are huge, with my son's high school having about four thousand students, and offer a wide range of subjects taught at different levels (regular ed, honors', and advanced placement, with the latter having college-level courses, like Calculus I and II), some vocational programs (there's a greenhouse for students who are studying agriculture, and there's a daycare center for students studying childcare), many fine arts' programs (orchestra, choir, band, theater, dance) that have won awards across the state, numerous sports' teams (football, basketball, baseball, soccer, volleyball, cross country, track and field, wrestling, tennis, swimming, diving) that often place high in district and state competitions, and many extracurricular clubs and groups (ROTC, social service club, international club, Japanese club, bowling club, a future teachers' club, student court) for kids who aren't into sports or the fine arts.

Although I have major issues with my son's school and how well it deals with students who have learning disabilities, there's no private school in this area that comes close to providing the opportunities that the public high school does.

Public schools are government institutions. The 20 percent of students attending private schools have parents who have concluded there is no way to get the best until the government is out of the business of dictating. Don't talk to me about qualified teachers and getting a private school up and running. Public schools teachers are not necessarily qualified. At least, the private schools I am familiar with have educators who have majored in the subjects they teach and nothing is more important than a teacher being able to devote time to one subject and not be stretched so thin to have to prepare their programs in so many subjects. Power point presentations should become extinct.

I believe that the only way to fix the public school system is to understand that there is no public school "system." Instead, it is made up of many systems. Public schools are as varied, as the communities in which they are located, and what will work for one community's schools will not work for another's. There is no one answer or one solution. There are multiple answers and multiple solutions, which must be considered on a local basis, based on the particular needs and resources of that community.

Vouchers are a great option for a community that has many high-quality private schools with available openings and reasonable tuition costs. This most certainly is not the case in my community, so I can't see vouchers being a viable option here. As far as building the private schools and the students will come, it takes money to build schools, and it takes time to set up a working curriculum and hire teachers who can teach the curriculum. Once the school is built, the curriculum is established, and the teachers are hired, there is no reason to believe that this new school's being a private school will guarantee an education that is superior to the public system. Only time will tell that, and the children attending the school will be the guinea pigs, while time is ticking. Private schools = superior education is simply not true. Private schools are as varied, as their public counterparts.

Charter schools are an excellent option, if those opening the schools know how to effectively run a school, develop curriculum and hire qualified teachers. Across the nation, there are examples of charter schools that have been raging successes and raging failures. In fact, larger school districts often have charter schools in both categories, which may be located a mere fifteen minutes away from one another.

Being able to leave a low-performing public school to attend a high-performing public school is an excellent option, if the high-performing schools do not run the risk of becoming overcrowded in the process. Once the high-performing schools' classroom populations increase from twenty students to thirty students, with both teachers and administrators becoming stressed in the process, the quality of the education the children are receiving will diminish.

Building more schools is an option in an area that is suffering from severe overpopulation in the classroom or crumbling of existing school structures, but there must be enough teachers to fill these new schools, and there must be enough money to build the schools, while keeping in mind that new school buildings do not gurantee a better education or a safer school environment.

Preschool is an excellent option for parents who work outside the home and do not have many other options available for their children. In my community, there would be a public protest, if preschool became mandatory, for my community is filled with stay-at-home moms AND excellent private preschools that parents can afford. These parents would not see any reason why their children were being forced to attend public school so young and would consider making their children do so an infringement on their parental rights to raise their children without government interference.

In the end, for any public school reform to work, it is going to have to be flexible, ready to meet the needs of the communities in which the schools are located. It's a daunting task, and I commend anyone who tries to take it on.

As long as the teachers unions are in control of the school systems there is no "fixing" it. Check out the ACT scores of the young teachers coming into the system. At least with the OPTION of vouchers, some kids will be getting a strong program, frankly, there are just too many who do not care. Vouchers have been proven and the public school system has yet to prove itself. As a parent, I have no suggestion as to how to improve when it is obvious the school administration does not want your help except to "pay the dues" and volunteer your time. Try asking for special consideration to be given to your gifted child by promotion to a higher grade.....you will get a "no" - and perhaps, "We are not a private school and your child belongs in a private school." I am very close to the Board of Education in my town and know from the inside how the system is required to operate. Policy committees (dress code for teachers) has to be comprised by a majority of Union members. That is like putting the fox in charge of the hen house. When a teacher is allowed to miss 25 school days a year - non-medical, there is little that can be done except to run as fast as you can to a private, home school, or parochial school. Infrastructure and administration are major parts of the problem from the financial standpoint. Both are oversized and under utilized. Burn the buildings and fire the administrators. My city is finally in the process of combining schools which means there will be empty buildings. That is a long overdue money savings. Twenty percent of students have found themselves outside the public school system and I say relative to the private schools, "build them and they will come." I'm dismayed that parents are willing to just go with the flow and think the government can make the best choices for our children. To date, the government schools have and continue to fail. Corrine, you have admitted that with vouchers private schools will flourish and would be overflowing which reflects your knowledge of the current problems. With that said, I welcome your thoughts on how to solve the problem of public education. When the President and the Secretary of Education choose private schools, that sends a loud message to the rest of us. Fight for your kids and your rights as tax payers. VOUCHERS.

So many people seem to believe that vouchers are "the" solution, but they are really only an OPTION.

Even if we had a voucher system, and parents could theoretically choose whether they sent their kids to private or public schools, it will not "fix" the problems. There will not be enough private schools to support the numbers of kids moving to them, and you'd still have kids in the public education system. Only now, with so many schools under-utilized, you'd have an infrastructure and administration completely out of balance with the remaining public school population. And, what do you suppose they can do with empty schools? Turn them into private schools? No.

While looking at alternatives is always a good idea, what's wrong with truly fixing the system we have? It can be done, but it has to be made a priority. I think sometimes the "education system" is more interested in whining and complaining about why it's someone else's fault that our kids are not educated to their potential and inadequately prepared for life when they emerge from the "system" instead of really wanting to do something that works to solve the problem.

To iamnotinsane: Well said! I appreciate your well spoke comments...I am the mother of a 5 yo boy child we are a military family living in Hawaii. One of the worst school systems in our nation. I dont know if you are familiar with the military but we are not able to afford to send our children to private schools (from what I hear they arent that much better than public schools in Hawaii). I spend countless hours volunteering in my childs class where the children that are struggling or have discipline issues get the majority of the teachers attention. Luckily for me I am able to stay home and volunteer and give my child that extra push at home. Unfortunately every one does not have the same opportunity. The current education system is unfair to my child and to me and many other parents. I agree with you the government should help with the financial burden so my child can also be competitive at Harvard, Princeton, Yale and other respected schools. Thanks again for your well thought out response.

For Kenneth. Appropriate is the operative word. Children should not have to be exposed to disruptive behavior and what we learn in school is very relevant....otherwise, just close the schools....which might be a good idea. I do think I know what is appropriate and the range of expected behavior is not that wide. Aptitude is extremely wide and in our schools, aptitude is not considered. Put them all in a blender is the NCLB philosophy and IT IS NOT WORKING; hence 20% of students have opted out of the government run school system. I speak from experience after having a child in a foreign country international school, the US government school system, and now thankfully as a 4th grader he is in a highly respected private school. No, it is not Stilwell but he will be able to compete at Princeton, Harvard, Duke, or other respected schools of higher learning thanks to the private education. APTITUDE!!!!! Parents need the choice so I am for vouchers to relieve the financial burden for students looking for a more instructive and disciplined learning process.

One of the challenges teachers face daily is a classroom of students with widely different academic skills and divergent attitudes about learning. Children from economically disadvantaged homes may miss learning opportunities that wealthier children receive from a dedicated caregiver or an at-home parent. Certainly, attendance at preschool should not be required but it should be an option for parents who want safe child care and school preparedness for their children while the parents struggle to provide food, shelter and affection.

It is regrettable that fixing a Bush administration creation should be considered the top priority by so many. In fact I believe the core assumptions of NCLB are false. Americans should not all receive the same education K-12. Californians should not. San Franciscans should not. Accepting the diversity in our origins and the diversity in our capabilities is the hallmark of our nation. We should all learn how to learn, but precisely what we learn in school is irrelevant to being productive human beings and successful citizens. Indeed, it is most important that children learn to succeed in appropriate ways as children so that they can succeed in appropriate ways as adults. Fortunately, appropriate covers a wide range of behavior.

wanderer's post struck a chord with me. Whatever ther reform in education is going to be it is going to have to address the curriculum biases and discrimination in schools. I have torn my hair out with trying to communicate this to our elementary school. We are living under the Girl Project of 1970 and it has accomplished some great things, but as for addressing the needs of the group that is way behind in test scores, and the majority of drop-outs we do nothing. It is clear to me, that if girls were having the same troubles as boys there would be a national emergency and funds would flow freely to address it. The fact that we are not doing this for boys, and still funding girls education disparately, and refusing to accept that there is gender bias in schools is irresponsible. Wanderer, if you haven't already, may I may suggest:
www.boysproject.net/
Listening to the male perspective on education and what needs to be addressed will need to be an underpinning of any of Obama's educational reform.

President Elect Obama's priority should be to pass the
www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h3132/text
The NCLB Act was never going to be implemented in the manner is was meant for. His daughters will be attending private school, Quaker same alumi as Chelsea Clinton. Which he has a choice to do so. If we can afford to protect our nation, we should have money to protect our children.

Boys and girls both suffer from gender-based inequities in public education, for a variety of reasons. I know I am re-stating what has already been said here, but I agree that addressing the unique learning needs and styles of each child as the beautiful, individual beings they are is key to addressing this problem. We cannot allow our school systems to continue to "mass-produce" our children's education throughout their formative years.

We need to change not only the culture and outlook of the public education system, but also the training our teachers are receiving in college. Also, parents need to be allowed and encouraged to have a greater role and more say in this process, or we cannot reasonably expect their buy-in and full participation (this does not address an ideal of parental involvment, but rather realistic societal expectations). As for NCLB, this and IDEA could both be scrapped if a better overall initiative were developed and implemented that could be FULLY FUNDED.

Funding and restructuring are the keys, and our society (voters), as well as our government, needs to prioritize more funding and attention towards the importance of educating our children. However, I am not in favor of providing more funding for the broken system we have today, as I've seen plenty of evidence of fraud, waste, and abuse of our tax dolllars. More funding should be contingent on total re-structuring and full accountability. In other words, if our taxes go up, we'd better see more bang for our buck.

Otherwise, give taxpaying parents/guardians back the portion of their money that goes toward public education so they can invest that money towards a more meaningful private education for their children. The obligation of the remaining taxpayers can go towards education of children whose families lack financial means (and who are also entitled to better education than available to them today). Whether those with more conservative views agree with this or not, all members of society share in the privileges, and consequently the responsibilities, of providing a meaningful education to our children.

It's funny you bring up the subject of educating boys. I am the mother of three girls, but I work for a childcare center whose enrollment is 70% male. This school "bends over backwards" to meet the needs of the individual student, regardless of gender, so I know it can be done.
As a private center, they have more autonomy regarding curriculum than public schools, but I believe public schools could adopt some of the same principles if they had the support of the government, state and federal.
"Every child deserves a special education-regardless of their personal circumstances."

I think he should hold teachers accountable.
I think he should get rid of,Leave no child behind, it doesn't seem to be working.
I believe funding needs to be added for playground supervision.
Teachers need to be more creative and get rid of those black and white run offs.

I feel the same way as healthy and wanderer. My children are 10 years apart, and my son was first. Study after study show that boys are penalized for wiggling while girls master "good behavior" sooner and are rewarded for it.

And when my son is denied sports scholarship opportunities that only my daughter will be eligible for (Title IX) based on her chromosomal makeup, I hardly see that as an inequity dealt to women.

I think the president elect will definitely have his hands full with the economy for quite some time, but if they could revisit the issues that lead to Title IX and abolish it, we'd be one step closer to true educational equity.

stayathomemom, I'm curious why you say boys already have a headstart when it comes to education and learning?

From what I've seen/read/experienced, most boys are at a disadvantage in elementary school, when teacher expectations are for "quiet deskwork and memorization and neatness" but then in upper grades, when more logic and creativity is appreciated, they become stronger students. Girls are the ones who tend to have the headstart, but if they aren't encouraged to keep up their curiosity and develop strong logic, math and science skills, then many seem to lag as they get older. Still, the last I heard, there are more girls attending college in the U.S. than males..

My feeling is that all students, boys and girls, need to be taught in ways that address their individual needs. There are some boys who may prefer a calm, quiet classroom with teacher lectures, and there are going to be some girls who learn best in a "hands-on, active" manner. I'm using simple generalizations, but it boils down to our current educational system trying to fit some "square pegs into round holes" and teach everyone the same way, and then expecting that all the kids will learn, and measure up the same way on NCLB tests...

Only educating and helping out boys leaves girls out in the cold. Please come to the 21st century where boys and girls can equally recieve an education that lets them know that women can do men's jobs and vice versa. Boys already have a headstart when it comes to education and learning. Why should the girls get sloppy seconds?

Approve vouchers, vouchers, vouchers and get the federal government out of the local school decision making process. Locals know better about the best approach to their demographics and students aptitude to institute the best learning process. He talks about charter schools but some states do not have legislation approval for charter school.

Address boys educational needs, and fund equally programming, outreach, opportunities and scholarships for boys.

De jour segregation, or having students assigned to schools based on where there parents can afford to live. Children should be able to go the schools which best serve their needs. Zoning schools based on real estate taxes paid on homes in the area is a form of socioeconomic discrimination. My children shouldn't be limited to an inferior education just because I can't afford, or choose not to, buy a more expensive home or pay higher rent.

parentadvocate - I wholeheartedly agree with you that education starts at home. However, I must respectfully disagree that "most" parents don't understand this. I would say that some do, and others do not. How many on either side of that fence is anyone's guess.

Regarding sending parent training groups door-to-door, I shudder to think of what type of groups might be designated to train parents on how to raise and educate their children in this way. It's bad enough I must take my children away from our home, each day, to be educated by others (I would homeschool if I could, believe me). If those "others" sought to infringe upon the sanctity of my home and try to dictate how I should raise my children in my own domicile, also, I would surely never answer my door. Home is our last safe haven for our children.

Let's make parent training groups available, yes, but better to maintain the ability to seek such groups out on our own terms.

To Educate ALL children to the best of their abilities. To involve ALL parent to the best of their ability.
Education starts at home and thats what most parents don't understand.
Parent training needs to happen and every school needs to have a group that goes door to door to those that need help!

First of off all learning begins at home! Unfortunately all parent are not "Great Schools Parents". Preaching to the choir here I am sure. But aside from that Elementary education is where the emphasis needs to be! This is where our children gain a foundation and a love for education or not. There needs to be more qualified teachers. Not just someone there to babysit and draw a paycheck. However small it may be. I think teachers should be paid what they are worth and that would cut out some of those peoples who are like "what do I do now oh I know I'll be a teacher"! I had one of my daughters teachers say to me "oh I wish I knew how to motivates students, I just dont" What? Isnt that part of the job? I feel bad for the students, a lot of them are being taught by or as another GSP put it "practiced on" by unqualified and uncaring teachers.

Yes the Gov should continue to pay for preschool for those who need it. Headstart is a wonderful system. It may need a little tweeking but not much. It not only educates the children but the parents as well. This program is for underprivleged working parents who can not afford daycare and can not afford not to work. This is not unfair it is just right. Everyone deserves a chance at life and education. Help these Americans stop the cycle of illiteracy and uneducation in there families!

College is something different, of course it is not for everyone but at least make it affordable. More access to Gov Grants. More realistic scholarships. (Anyone applying for or researching scholarships knows what I am talking about.) Lots of them out there but who qualifies? I could go on and on but I won't. Bottom line our education system is broken it can't be fixed it needs to be replaced!

I belong to several parent-support groups, and the info below just came from one of them ("I" referred to below is the author, and all comments are by them, not me ~ healthy11.)
_____________________________________________

PLEASE FORWARD/CIRCULATE WIDELY WITHOUT FURTHER PERMISSION FROM THE AUTHOR:
I received the announcement below from Justice for All, an e-publication
from the American Association of Persons with Disabilities. I have created
a new priority: "Stop School Abuse of Kids with Disabilities" as something
I want the Obama administration to adopt as a highest priority. May I
cordially invite you to join this web site and "endorse" this priority - and
strongly consider getting all your relatives, friends, acquaintances,
colleagues and neighbors to do so as well? Thank you very much in advance.
Dee Alpert, Publisher
SpecialEducationMuckraker.com
www.specialeducationmuckraker.com

Website Asks YOU to Set Nation's Priorities
whitehouse2.org/users/new

Advertising that it is an online forum "where you set the nation's
priorities," a new website, independent of the U.S. government and White
House, www.whitehouse2.org, seeks to represent the collective will of the
people.

Although they do not appear in the top 25 priorities on the homepage,
disability policy issues are part of the lineup, although they rank nearly
dead last. Amongst the disability priorities listed are the following:

a.. Increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities
b.. Support Independent Living for Americans with Disabilities
c.. Increase the employment rate of workers with disabilities
d.. Equal rights for people with disabilities
e.. End Discrimination Against Americans with Disabilities
f.. Provide Educational Opps for those with Disabilities
Vote for these priorities or add others by visiting the website today.

#2> I would like to think I can finish my education & that we'll be able to afford to put my daughter in college, assuming she will be suited to and desirous of that ambition, by the time she graduates.
I think making college availible to *everyone* is not a good thing. Some people are simply not suited to University education and should not be pushed into it. Making admissions competetive & the standards high help to insure that the quality of professional who obtains a degree can actually do the job.

#1> I think that our gov't needs to let the parents have more control in where their children go. Make the schools (Elem, Middle, & HS) compete & let parents put their children where ever they want to. Make the schools accountable rather than testing the kids into anxiety and eventual apathy. Make the schools compete for the kids and it will lead to more extra curricular, social, musical/sports, and academic advancements for *ALL* children. Our current system leaves parents stuck putting their children in whatever poorly defined zones they happen to live. Our current system does not allow children with special gifts, interests, needs to attend schools that fill their unique needs unless the parents can afford private school or happen to live in the right "zone".

ncurtis101 - Yes, we live in a capitalistic society. A form of capitalism that has run so far amock that most of us are paying a very high price for the unchecked greed of the very small "upper class".

Let's face it - ours is a capitalist "oligarchy" - not a democracy, not even a republic ... by constitutional definition. An oligarchy primarily comprised of privately-educated, Ivy League, "old money" families, that has only served the rich and powerful very well. The rest of us keep paying our taxes to fund a failing, corrupt government, while basically fending for ourselves. At the risk of sounding "socialistic", I ask you: is the current governmnent structure REALLY working for the betterment of all of us in this so-called democratic, capitalistic society, or is it only working well for those who have the money and power to influence national priorities?

Free (or at least much cheaper) college? Why not? there are certainly other countries that do far better in this respect than the U.S. (and, of course, arguably far worse in other areas). If the U.S. taxpayers can be forced to fork over $700 billion for a single, sweeping big business bailout, think how much better it would be for this kind of money to be used for better education and social services addressing the needs of our children ... our future workers and leaders.

The future success of a nation can be predicted by the priorities (or lack thereof) it places on care for its young and elderly. The U.S. is shamefully lacking on both fronts. We either shift this paradigm beginning now, or plan for the fall of our nation. You decide.

K-4th -!!! Yes - Yes Yes - Foundation teachers K-4th their jobs are extremely important, never mind hard. I could not handle 3 children (my own who all have ADD) We had fun in life until 3rd grade started for the oldest! Then everything started to go downhill. My goal of the type of mom I though I could be was destroyed! I disappointed myself and my children. Maybe this year they are starting to get it as I started to get it.
K-4th needs teachers that are more skilled in teaching skills for foundations using scienctifically researched based methods for language, math, science, arts, health! Then by the time the majority of students reach 5-8th their skill level is there (forget grades but like everyone is an A/B class student! unless in Special Education Services where testing and strengths and weaknesses and programs incorporate moving up and closing the gaps between the talents and deficits. K-4th teachers should should get extra pay for the extra skills they need and certificates they have to earn now!

I believe the government should not pay for preschool. There is no scientific evidence it makes any difference to have a kid in preschool versus not - except in only areas where the kids have no one home to read to them, make sure they have their meals because the moms or dads are alone for many different reasons. These children need to be in a fun safe place and learning social skills and basic exposure to computers, leap frog products, being read to, and able to enjoy art projects. These project enable the sensory engagement that is so important for children as they develop. Then WHAM K-4th! Focus, Focus, Focus! We don't care who gets the "A" and "B" we care about the "C" "D" "F" students who will become "A" "B" students and the ways that will be possible through the five different sensory engagements, identifying early childrens strengths and weaknesses! If the parents can't afford to pay for it now - they will be grateful and in the future contribute and volunteer when that season of life comes! It does take a village. Not everything is fair! Nothing is fair. We can only make it better! We can only care. If we stop caring America will disappear. Move forward! Teach ESY services to anyone who needs foundations - mandatory - in a fun way for all grades till the bell curve shows its done! We fixed what was broke! Bad programs and moving kids along who were not ready in the foundations!

K-4th teachers who are talented enough to be able to have the skillsets needed to provide all sensory engagement of scientifically researched proven methods in language and math and science should be granted eduction loans at a low percent and have that small amount over 20 years deducted if they have the skills to become part of the top 20% of the teaching workforce the USA needs now to give the K-4th graders of all learning abilities the skills needed working with scientifically research based methods. Also, training for ESY services over the summer to provide the and grade the additional foundation training services they can provide - yes 9-3 programs 3 weeks July and 3 weeks August! - if the kids don't have foundations - they must to keep moving forward! or we'll never get our workfoce up to date in the top 10% and able to handle the huge problems facing them and we will need them to support us!

I totally agree with you! Even if there were low interest loans given - the payback being put over the 20 year public service commitment requested back to keep the fund going.

Wall Street - What a joke. We are all paying for their fun! We are all now learning to be either poor or rich! Our government says they have no choice! OK - We have no choice but to step it up now. Even if it means the State Governors Giving up the 10th Amendment for K-4th so the Federal government will support such a program and effort, Leaving 5-16th to the states. If the government can give away funds to the rich fat cats and not punish them for anything! Lets just now do the right thing so that the kids today most of them can join the rich fat cats and outsmart them and figure out how to get back what they have taken away from all of us in the American Middle Class! Don't you wish you were one of the special fatcats of AIG!

stayathomemom. You want a free education? How do you propose that the government pay for everyone to attend college? We still live (at least for a little while) in a captalist society. People pay for goods and services and work for pay.

eccentric-what you described would produce well rounded human beings and is what is largely lacking in schools. We need inclusion, that is feeling emotionally safe-which enhances learning, while feeling threatened and emotionally at risk deters learning and actually blocks important developmental milestones. Few schools are focusing on inclusion, most-if not all, are using negative behavior modification exclusively -which doesn't work, not even on dogs.

logicaldog, while I agree with most of the things you said (I would phrase them differently though! :), I don't understand how schools can produce more quality human beings? Isn't that really a parent's job? Schools serve a purpose of teaching a well rounded curriculum (without Science and Math, we will lag back!) including hopefully organizational, time management, and people skills. Mind you, most of these skill can;t really be taught at schools unless children are exposed to that at home! Furthermore, even a President elect has no magic wand to just cast his spell and change the system!!

Hopefully, Obama will have more funding for people who don't necessarily want to get, afford to have, or simply can't manage higher level degrees. It will be nice if colleges and Universities start offering certificate courses that are funded just as a degree program. More people might end up with skills necessary for jobs that are being currently being outsourced! Cheers

The very first thing I think Mr. President-Elect Obama should concentrate on is making college more affordable and I don't mean just for graduating senior high schoolers, either. Anyone who wants to attend college (bricks and mortar or via online) and is getting their degree in Early Childhood Education should be first in line for grants and loans depending on their economic ability. For those (like me) who want to better themselves and make a difference in kids' lives, I should be able to attend the college of my choice and obtain my AA, my BA and my Master's at free or nearly free. With the shortage of teachers in the nation, I think its high time the President of the United States did something to improve today's education system (IMHO).

Regarding Obama's kids going to private schools, while I advocate public schools, the reality is few public schools are set up for the safety and security that would be required for a president's kids. It'd be great, but it's certainly up to him and his wife.

I'd love to see more with school choice within districts, but I'm not even sure we need MORE or bigger federal government, so I'll just wait.

The saddest thing I'm watching here in L.A. is certain politicians realigning their political destinies posturing for positions in Washington in the new administration.

Year round schooling?? I simply don't think it's fair for the kids. I for one want less hours for lower elementary schools...start early and leave early. Yes, I know that working parents will not agree with that! I also agree that atleast for middle and high school, teaching certificate should not be mandatory as long as they have a MS in their subject. I didn;t think you need a PhD for K-12 system. That's a requirement for Universities, and rightly so!
As for Obama's daughters not attending a public school...I see no problem with that. Even before he was a President-elect, both Obama and his wife were very successful in their careers that they worked hard for. Why wouldn;t they send their children to the best places they could afford to send? It's like asking Prince William and Harry go to a public school in East London!?

lillian12:
Very interesting CV . I guess with Mike's experience in all aspects of education, administration, and research, he might be a good choice. Who knows!

Thanks for sharing.

Personally, as a parent, I so look forward to the summers, when my son can go to camps and on vacations that he enjoys, that allow him to explore his own interests, and that teach him great things outside of the traditional classroom. I would never support year-round school.

Is anyone here from California and familiar with Rep. Mike Honda? He sounds like a great choice for Secretary of Education, but I'm not from California, so I don't know what the "word on the streets" is there.

honda.house.gov/biography.shtml

honda.house.gov/education_accomplishments.shtml

Unless I'm mistaken, I haven't seen anyone in this discussion make note of the fact that Obama's own daughters do NOT attend a Chicago Public School. (From comments in his first press conference, It didn't sound to me as if they are likely to enroll in a public school setting in the Washington, DC area, either.) I wonder what factors he and Michelle used to determine that the public schools weren't meeting the standards they had for their own children??? Something tells me those areas will be the focus of his education priorities...

I disagree about Powell. He didn't do well in school. The military made him. I think he's not qualified to lead education. He doesn't have it in his bones.

The person to direct education should be an educator or someone familiar with the educational system from the theories to the realities.

I agree with some of the ideas of NCLB, but it needs a lot of work, money, and even more transparency. The testing should measure the improvement of students over time, not just improvement in the school over time. The real question people want answered is -- is the school helping or harming students progress.

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,307822,00.html

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > POLITICS

Senate Puts Off No Child Left Behind Bill Until 2008
Friday, November 02, 2007

As a middle school counseling in a public school, I see first-hand our public school system at work. I would like to see more flexibility with allowing professionals from the world of work have a little easier time moving into teaching. You can have a PhD in chemistry, but unless you go through the hoops of getting your teaching license, you can’t teach. Granted, just because you have a PhD doesn’t guarantee that you are an effective teacher. But this country has a lot of bright people and we should be able to figure out a way to allow people with the skills and knowledge to teach are students.
The whole national standard seems to go against the Founding Fathers idea of state’s rights. Would things be worse without a Department of Education? We seem to spend more and more money, but never see much improvement. We seem to still be stuck in the school system of the past agricultural history of this country. Summers off to help in the fields? Long gone. How about year-round schooling? How about longer school days and pair schools with other agencies in the community. One-room schools were able to teach kids 1st through 12th. Why must our children be so segregated?

AdvocacyMom’s
U.S. EDUCATION REFORM WISH LIST FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION (cont.)

Part III – Future DOE task-force initiatives to consider:

1) Time and again we, the taxpayers, have seen little if any value gained in tax dollars allocated toward increased funding of education. It is high time we further explore increasing the quality of teaching standards by encouraging good old-fashioned competition, not only between schools/school districts, but also among education professionals. Push legislation to pave the way for unhindered application and hire of credentialed and/or highly-qualified non-union-affiliated educators into teaching positions by SEAs and LEAs. Also push legislation for increased availability of open enrollment and "schools of choice".

2) Eliminate the academic "brain-drain", staffing resources, valuable learning time, and extensive funding currently being squandered on state mandatory large-scale and high-stakes standardized educational assessment testing. Research more cost- and resource-effective alternatives to assessment of successful teaching methodologies (e.g. external evaluations, student portfolios).

* NOTE: I realize certain elements of the above proposals will probably render me unpopular with most teachers and virtually all teacher's union officials, but I would welcome teacher-initiated feedback on alternative solutions.

AdvocacyMom’s
U.S. EDUCATION REFORM WISH LIST FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Part II – Corroborating State-Level Initiatives

1) State appointees serving as staff members and advisors to DOE will be responsible to both DOE and state BoEs for communicating and ensuring state compliance with DOE mandates. They will be accountable for continued and measurable progress on all state-led education initiatives designed to comply with DOE mandates, providing status reports available to the federal and state governments, and to the public (via website), on a monthly basis.

2) State DOE representatives will help to define, communicate and enforce inclusion of parents as full education partners and decision-makers in LEA school systems, as follows:

- It is time to level the Special Education playing field for parents/guardians at IEP team meetings once and for all! To this end, ensure compliance with reforms to IDEA, NCLB and Section 504 of the ADA, which should extend DOE mandates of parental inclusion in decision-making at all Special Education IEP team and Section 504 Plan team meetings. To this end, final team member determinations of parents/guardians/student advocates in attendance at such meetings will be proportionally equivalent to the balance of school district staff members in attendance (in other words, parents have equal say to educators, to balance disproportionate staff-to-parent/guardian ratios usually in attendance).

- allow parents direct inputs to and approval of school district funding allocations, through district BoE townhall meetings.

- incorporate DOE provisions for optional avenues to due process litigation, in addition to mediation, which will be made available to parents as lower-cost and more expedient solutions to address education system abuses and non-compliance with state and federal mandates. Such alternatives should include enabling parents to follow self-initiated escalation of direct contacts with education agencies, up to and including complaints to DOE, without procedural interference or hindrance by LEAs, SEAs or their legal representatives. Alternatives to due process could otherwise be addressed as a separate state mandate in compliance with DOE mandates.

- ensure that LEAs provide for PTOs (Parent-Teacher Organizations) to become full decision-making partners with district schools and BoEs.

AdvocacyMom’s
U.S. EDUCATION REFORM WISH LIST FOR THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION

Part I – Federal-Level Initiatives

1) We need a DOE Secretary who can acknowledge that the status-quo has not worked for quite some time, and who is ready to pursue nationwide education reform using proven yet outside-of-the-box approaches. To this end, appoint a new DOE (U.S. Dept. of Education) Secretary with a proven record of leading successful education reform efforts. Ideally, this individual should have considerable experience in working with public, private and charter school sectors, state and local BoEs (Boards of Education), parents and students, as well as in working with both medical and non-medical professionals and organizations specializing in research, treatment and/or educational remediation of childhood learning disorders. This individual must also be required to prove they have no conflicts of interest or personal agendas that would put them at risk of showing favoritism towards any teacher's unions, SEAs (State Educational Agencies), or other educational or medical associations/organizations.

2) Once appointed, provide strict timelines within which the new Secretary must appoint staff and begin working on task-force initiatives. Staff members and advisors must include equal representation from state BoEs, teacher's unions, charter schools, private schools, home-schooling advocates, parents and more mature students from diverse demographical areas and backgrounds. Representation must also include medical and non-medical professionals/organizations specializing in both medical treatment and non-medical remediation of childhood learning disorders, as well as bullying awareness and prevention organizations, whose credentials include scientifically proven evidence of successfully-implemented methodologies. The new Secretary, staff and advisors will be held accountable for continued and measurable progress on all initiatives, providing status reports available to the federal and state governments, and to the public (via website), on a monthly basis.

3) Newly-organized DOE Task forces must immediately focus on (at a minimum):

- federally legislated mandates requiring inclusion of parents as full partners and decision-makers in all education systems receiving federal funding.

- fully-funded reforms to IDEA and NCLB.

- further reforms to Section 504 of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act).

- federally legislated and fully-funded mandates for bullying and school violence awareness and prevention programs, to be implemented by state BoEs, nationwide. States may choose from either from available, established programs, or from home-grown programs that can provide strong evidence of success based upon meeting specific requirements over a one-year pilot period of implementation.

- strengthen financial oversight and full accountability regarding allocation and use of federal funds issued to state education systems. States that do not meet a high percentage of specifically mandated accountability requirements will be subjected to full, mandatory audits and direct oversight by DOE for a minimum correction period of 3 consecutive years.

- provision of more streamlined, less expensive and less time-consuming options to the complex and obscenely expensive due process avenues currently in place to address and resolve parent and student complaints of education system abuses and non-compliance.

Much as I'd like to see less federal and state government intervention in education, they've fostered such a monumental mess of our public education systems that only an agency with the financial resources of our federal government could possibly afford to clean it up (if at all possible). However, I don't know whether President-elect Obama's new administration will be able to focus as much as will be needed on drastically-needed reforms to our public education system. Even now, he is appointing cabinet members in preparation for prioritizing his initial focus on multiple national and international crises, which the majority of our nation's voters have ranked as taking strong priority over sweeping changes to our educational system, including economic crises, multiple war efforts, and a global energy crisis.

Nevertheless, as a parent advocate who has been involved with General, Special, and Gifted Education, as well as with bullying awareness and prevention in schools for the past seven years, I've had myriads of personal insights, hopes, dreams, battles both internally and externally manifested, and heartbreaks in advocating for my own children's education. I, too, was a child who struggled through school with a combination of LD and giftedness, with own mother serving as a strong role model for me as my advocate. Perhaps because of the gifts of inspiration and love of learning I received from her, I have spent these past seven years doing whatever is needed to help my own children succeed in school, and to help other parents advocate more effectively for their own children's educational well-being.

Because of my personal experiences, although I have no background as an education, medical or even legal professional, I've traveled on an incredible journey in which I've had opportunities to learn and see through the eyes of educators, medical professionals, other parents and children who struggle with the tremendous challenges currently facing America's public school systems.

Given my personal experiences and insights, I feel the Obama administration needs to lead our national education reform agenda beginning with multiple, parallel priorities (not just one) to accomplish needed reforms to our public education systems. I will publish my ideas on this in subsequent posts.

Perhaps after they've finished cleaning up the mess, we can find a way to push legislation that will limit their future capabilities to interfere with our children's education.

We need less government intervention. We need to cut more administration and conveniently lose the teacher unions. We need school vouchers so that schools will actually be motivated to perform.

It is actually not constitutional for a US president to get involved in a state issue like education. Yeah, they've been doing it, and it is just messing things up worse. By design, education was supposed to be locally controlled and funded. Little kids should be bonding with their mothers at home. The real studies show NO LONG TERM positive results for early childhood ed, but the moms like it because they want to go work and buy stuff and get free daycare.

What should be President-Elect Obama's priority regarding education?

The appointment of a thoughtful but forceful Secretary of Education who is utterly committed to meaningfully serving ALL children, including the 1 in 5 children who has a learning disability.

His priority should be the selection of a Secretary who will insist that every administrator and every educator in this great nation of ours use CRITICAL THINKING skills to ask and analyze:

(a) What problems currently prevent THIS child from succeeding in school?

(b) What are the possible solutions to these problems?

(c) What does the independent, responsible scientific research say about the relative effectiveness of each possible solution?

(d) How can I eliminate any obstacles that prevent my implementation of what research tells me is the most effective solution?

President-Elect Obama should appoint a Secretary of Education who will insist that public schools stop this nonsense of churlishly refusing to use the word "dyslexia." His Secretary of Education should work to ensure that every child with an LD is promptly identified by kindergarten, receives science-based intervention delivered by well-trained teachers, and reaches his or her full potential. The Secretary's reward will be to see young eyes light up with pleasure at the very thought of school. The Secretary's reward will be to see children unfurl their academic wings to the fullest extent possible.

President-Elect Obama's priority should be the appointment of a Secretary of Education for whom "we've always done it that way" just isn't good enough...... We can do better for our children. And our economically-challenged society requires that we educate every child so that each becomes an educated, productive, law-abiding, contributing citizen.

Change is what he is saying he will do, and Change is what our American public school system desperately needs. The NCLB act should never have been left to continue without changing what was not working. It is now huring students, teachers and parents, not to mention the schools and local governments.
Teachers that do not care or have become bad teachers did not start out that way. Teachers need incentives and rewards for the complex job of teaching the myriad of disadvantaged and exceptional students with their hands practically tied behind their backs. Then parents are left with putting up with 'bad' teachers or pay the cost or transport (if they can afford to or allowed to) their kids to another school.
Yes, change does take time. But are we really willing to sacrifice a generation before good change begins?

Certainly "disadvantaged" means many different things. From your description, I must be "disadvantaged" because I'm a woman and therefore, in the minority. I've never seen it that way.

Oh, and my parents were divorced, too. Does that make me "disadvantaged?" Wait, my parents emigrated from another country and had to learn the language of THIS country? Again, that isn't a "disadvantage" unless I allow it to be one.

I'm not trying to split hairs here. I'm just saying that Barack Obama is hardly the poster child for "disadvantaged" as you pointed out. The only difference in his profile is that he is of mixed-race. That doesn't automatically qualify him to be representative of disadvantaged populations, which was the message I got out of that posting.

I mean, heck...FDR was more "disadvantaged" than Barack...but I don't think there were people wth special needs cheering in the streets because "finally there was an example" that they could be anything they wanted to be.

Truly, if Barack is going to make in-roads in the achievement gap, he'll have to address that our kids -- all kids -- deserve to learn the skills that can transcend race, gender, culture, socio-economic background, and THAT has precious little to do with academics.

Corinne, disadvantaged can mean different things to different people. Many people would say that being raised without the benefit of both parents is a disadvantage, and in that regard, there are a lot of families in today's society who should be able to look at Obama and say, "if his family persevered, so can we."

Some see being a person of color as a disadvantage. I live in the Chicago area, and have been amazed at the number of on-the-street interviews with people, particularly minority mothers, who tearfully express the fact that they now feel they can tell their children to "get a good education and be whatever you want to be" because there are no longer any limits on what you can become. It's clear to me that Obama already IS a role model for many.

heatlhy11:

Did you really say that Barack is positioned to be a role model for "disadvantaged" kids and their families.

I must have missed something -- but how is HE or has he ever been "disadvantaged?"

He's hardly a rags-to-riches story and he hasn't experienced ANY of the disadvantages plaguing minority and low-income families.

Now, Oprah Winfrey -- yes. Barack? No.

Here's a great resource for you:

Change.gov -- Office of the President-Elect
Education Agenda
change.gov/agenda/education/

This offers lots of clear, detailed info about our President-elect's plans for improving education.

I think early childhood education and drop what is not working with NCLB.

I agree with other members, the education secretary should an experience teacher. A Physician with a strong background on teaching and research is perfect for secretary for health and human services. This two departments are not a place for a politician or soldier. I trust Mr. Obama will make the best choice for these jobs.

I so much respect and valued Mr. Powel service to this country and the world at large. He is an example of hard work, humility, intellectual, and grace.
God bless Mr. Powell and his family!

I think our future president should be looking into our special needs program. The teachers and any school staff needs to be rewarded when they do go above and beyond with educating our kids. As for the rest of the teachers and staff, I recommend that they take refresh courses on all recent issues such as working with ADHD, OCD, and ASD children. President- elect Obama needs to be aware that there is an alarming amount of children affected by this conditions and there is not enough staff to go around. We also need to make ABA therapy statewide insured. I also believe that all parents needs to be informed for OT, Speech, and other recommended services. All schools should also have parent training program and allow parents to participate in their child's classroom so they can learn how to work with them at home too.

khinckley, as an individual, I have great respect for Colin Powell... In the framework that you talk about, yes, he could be a positive "role model," especially for disadvantaged families. But Barack Obama is already positioned to do that. Let's face it, Cabinet Posts are not roles that involve a lot of "rubbing shoulders directly with the man or woman on the street."

On one hand, I know current Ed. Secretary Margaret Spellings had no prior teaching experience, and I suppose the hope was to bring a "fresh perspective" to the position, but I'm wondering if NCLB's implementation would have been more effective if she had a background in education and could have anticipated more of the problems? That's the same situation Colin Powell would be in.

I agree that the current system is NOT working well for many students, and yet I fear that the emphasis on the disadvantaged, and simply meeting "minimum expectations," is also leaving some of our best and brightest minds behind, and the U.S. is becoming a place where mediocrity is "the goal."

Perhaps Colin Powell should oversee the Health and Human Services Dept, which seems to be the area that's failing in terms of "Parent Training" and giving children a better start in life, even before they reach school age....

President elect Obama's priority should be that schools with the lowest income and lowest test scores has first priority to tutoring and test supplies. As well as the transportation to get them there, and provided snacks.

I think you're being a little hard on Colin Powel. His background does include being the secretary of defense, but his achievements were arrived at by taking pride in personal achievement and he stands for integrity. Obama has talked about parents taking responsibility for the behavior of their children and teaching them pride in responsibility. Who will this group of families respond better to? This subset of families are lacking structure and discipline. I believe that it's not because the parents don't want to, but something else, like the socio economics that are exhausting these families. Let's face it, it's exhausting to raise children. Add that on top of poverty, workin 2 jobs, and gangs and shootings in the neighborhood. These families need help and they need an organized leader who will provide an environment of structure, responsibility and pride. I think Powel is an awesome choice. It speaks to the core of his belief system and is a challenge that not many people would take on. Read his biography and see if you still think he is an inappropriate choice. I'd be interested in hearing your response. www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/pow0bio-1
The first line reads: "Colin Luther Powell was born in Harlem in 1937. His parents were Jamaican immigrants who stressed the importance of education and personal achievement. " I have debated with myself about what this does for MY children. Maybe nothing in the short term, which is all I have. I have only one chance and it's now. That is why I am at the school often developing my own plan for my kid's achievement.

I agree with khinckley about revising NCLB in terms of children's learning styles and perhaps more external evaluation of the learning environment and parent involvement at schools. Another priority is school funding and greater accountability by schools -- the funding structure has needed revamping for decades.

I heard that same thing about Colin Powell being put in the position of Secretary of Education - what?? Maybe Paris Hilton can be the Secretary of Defense.

It remains to be seen who is selected as Obama's Education Secretary, but an AP news article earlier this evening said that Colin Powell expressed interest in the position?? What kind of message will that send? That schools are "battle grounds?"

NCLB needs revision, but not to focus on how to raise scores for a certain set of children. Develop 2-5 strategies to address categories of children considering learning styles, gifts, and intrests. Develop a long term education plan with the parents and measure to that plan. The education plan would be the 2-5 strategies. A child whose parent does not participate is placed in an education plan best suited to the child from the schools perspective.

Lets try something new... Spare no expense!!! The way we have been doing things for years isn't working! Maybe this is the problem we have not focused enough on EDUCATION. Parents need to be educated as well and do more with there kids. Then we all need to teach everyone some virtues and morals not to be greedy to avoid this Subprime Morgage Crisis we are in. We I was a Student we spent months talking about laws that no longer exist. Not what our children really need to know to avoid repeating The Great Depression, which by the way we talked about in my high school history class for one day.

I agree with everyone's responses so far that NCLB needs to be revisited. I would also love to see college affordability and new ways to attract qualified, passionate people to the teaching profession (tuition reimbursement? Higher pay?) addressed, too.

I'd like to see more attention to NCLB. I know that financial resources will become increasingly scarce, but funding for NCLB is needed. A mandate without financial support is bound to struggle.

respect the child ideas

I concur with MSMomm, that NCLB needs modification.

No Child Left Behind - needs to be totally revamped.