Does Obama's Education Plan Make the Grade?
On March 15, President Obama unveiled his plan for reforming the nation's education system. The bulk of the plan, which looks to overhaul George W. Bush's frequently criticized No Child Left Behind law, advances the bold ideas with which this Administration has already become closely associated. The President wants to link billions of federal dollars to initiatives like ending the achievement gap between white and nonwhite students, evaluating teachers and awarding performance bonuses to principals and teachers who've earned them. On the basis of what we know has worked in New York City with our 1.1 million schoolkids, we'd give Obama's plan a solid B--a great start, but it could use a little improvement. Here's what we think works and what could be even stronger.
The President correctly refocuses the goal of our nation's public schools from simply giving students a high school diploma to making sure they are ready for college or a career. In other words, he wants to make sure a high school diploma means students actually have the skills they need to compete in an increasingly global workforce. Obama would define school success by how much improvement students make from grade to grade, no matter where they started, as opposed to the current system, in which schools are judged on students' absolute performance, not