I really liked the overhaul of student loan policies. One estimate, as is stated in the article, is a savings of 67 billion dollars, which is to be reinvested into Pell grants for college students. I love these type of policy changes. They are practical. What I do not understand is what the purpose was for "middlemen" who were making all this money off student loans in the first place.
Incentive pay for teachers is going to be difficult to implement. Although training or firing teachers who are not effective is something that seems needed.
I do not understand the particulars of his DREAM ACT. It is interesting and would like to know more but I think the criteria for illegal immigrants to stay in the country should not be whether or not they are educated and can add something to the economy.
I was interested in the article but all of these policies that could come into play in education in the next few years are I am sure very complicated and difficult to sum up in a quick speech.
You ask a good question about the role for unions. Should they be reduced because they stand in the way of education reform? Or are they last obstacle to a radical overhaul of education as an unregulated, market-based pursuit of value?
ReplyDeleteSomewhere in between, no doubt. But where and how do we make the effort to find agreement?
I do not remember mentioning unions in my post, but a think it is a good question. Is it black and white? Are unions the obstacle? Is a market based-pursuit of value alone the answer? My intuition tells me that we do not need anything radical at this point. The picture of education in our country is complicated. There are success stories in public education and although the unions can be corrupt so can the school system. In many they are the right and left hand of the school. School districts have administrative positions solely for coordinating with unions. How do change a system so intertwined?
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