Today, President Obama addressed elementary and high school students across the nation -- the first time a president has spoken directly to America's studentssince 1991 -- in a back-to-school speech emphasizing the importance of personal responsibility in education. Some conservatives spent last week heavily criticizing the President's plan to speak, saying it was "an attempt at 'indoctrination' of kids," and encouraging parents to keep their children home for the day. But as Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "[T]he whole message [of the speech] is about personal responsibility and challenging students to take their education very, very seriously." Indeed, as the Washington Post pointed out, the speech did not mention any political agenda but drew on "Obama's own education experience -- from the predawn tutoring by his mother when his family lived in Indonesia to his acceptance to law school" to make its point about the importance of educational attainment. "At the end of the day, we can have the most dedicated teachers, the most supportive parents, and the best schools in the world -- and none of it will matter unless all of you fulfill your responsibilities," Obama said to the students. "Unless you show up to those schools; pay attention to those teachers; listen to your parents, grandparents and other adults; and put in the hard work it takes to succeed."
'STAVED OFF AN EDUCATION CATASTROPHE': As part of the conservative uproar prior to the speech, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins claimed that the President "hasn't pushed any educational reform issues." However, the administration has made an "unprecedented investment" in education -- including $100 billion in new money -- to implement a strong reform agenda, driven in large part by the economic stimulus package passed in February. But the stimulus also, as Duncan explained, "staved off an education catastrophe," filling budget gaps that would have forced states to significantly cut their education funding. "We would have had hundreds of thousands of teachers who were going to be teaching, starting last week and this week, who would have been out of jobs, teachers, social workers, counselors," Duncan said. Gov. Haley Barbour (R-MS) said that he expects the effect of education budget cuts in his state to be "very, very minimal" due to the stimulus. The stimulus is also helping to combat other effects of the economic downturn, including providing transportation help to the more than one million students without stable housing, a number that "has tested budget-battered school districts as they try to carry out their responsibilities -- and the federal mandate -- to salvage education for children whose lives are filled with insecurity and turmoil."
RACE TO THE TOP: A main thrust of the administration's reform effort included in the stimulus package is Race to the Top, a $4.35 billion fund that "provides competitive grants to encourage and reward States that are creating the conditions for education innovation and reform." In order to qualify for the funding, states and districts must address four reform areas: adopting internationally benchmarked assessments and standards, rewarding effective teachers and principals, building new data systems and turning around low-performing schools. States are also ineligible for the money "if they have laws on the booksprohibiting student performance from affecting teacher assessment." States should adopt these reforms because, as the Center for American Progress pointed out in its report Stimulating Excellence, "the current and potential new entrepreneurs are stifled by several unnecessary and outdated state and district policies, and an education system that remains as a whole insensitive to performance and quality." Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-CA) has called a special session of the California legislature in order to take up reforms that would make the state eligible for the funding.
TEACHER ACCOUNTABILITY: The administration's reform agenda also focuses on teacher accountability and the possibility of implementing pay-for-performance for teachers. As Center for American Progress Associate Director for Teacher Quality Robin Chait explained, "there are a number of examples throughout the country that show that this strategy can work. For example, in Chicago, preliminary research findings show that the pay-for-performance program there has increased teacher retention and provided more support for new teachers. In Denver and in Guilford County, the programs there are having a positive impact on student achievement." Plus, the Teacher Advancement Program -- under which trained evaluators visit a teacher's classroom four to six times a year -- "has had a positive impact on student achievement in a number of schools throughout the country." But not only do some states bar student performance from being used in teacher assessments, but most teacher evaluations provide very little in terms of real information. Currently, in school districts that use binary evaluation ratings (satisfactory or unsatisfactory), "more than 99 percent of teachers receive the satisfactory rating." In districts that have a wider array of rating options, "94 percent of teachers receive one of the top two ratings and less than 1 percent are rated unsatisfactory." As Andrew Rotherham at Eduwonk put it, "[D]espite all the rhetoric about how important teachers are and despite the importance of people in a labor-intensive field like education, the lack of systematic attention to teacher effectiveness in education is shocking."
| HEALTH CARE -- KINGSTON CLAIMS HEALTH SYSTEM WORKED 'VERY WELL' FOR BANKRUPT CANCER SURVIVOR WITHOUT INSURANCE: At a recent town hall held by Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA), an elderly gentlemannamed Jim Parker stood up and told the congressman that he was recently treated for colon cancer. "I did not have insurance," he said, adding that "things didn't quite work out" after he started his own business. Parker informed Kingston that "a friend of mine was in the same position, and we buried him last January." Kingston responded by telling the man that "you did do very well" because he was able to get treated when he arrived at the hospital. Parker responded, "I am functionally bankrupt!" Kingston cut him off and reiterated his point, saying "but you did get coverage. You didn't get the insurance, but they won't turn you down at the door." Kingston's argument is a familiar conservative trope. In July 2007, President Bush claimed that "people have access to health care in America. After all, you just go to an emergency room." But just going "to an emergency room" is what drives up health care costs for all Americans. "Access to emergency room care is not the same as access to comprehensive, coordinated, and timely health care services -- the kind of care that coverage facilitates." And as the town hall attendee noted, without insurance, a hospital visit commonly leavesAmericans bankrupt. |
| The Washington Post documents the health insurance industry's use of rescission -- "the technical term for canceling coverage on grounds that the company was misled." Insurers defend the practice, claiming that they "need to be able to cancel policies to control fraud." If health reform legislation bars companies from screening for preexisting conditions, rescissions should no longer be an issue. Several House liberals tell Roll Call that "they could support" a health care reform bill that would only include a public option as a fallback plan "depending on how it was structured." "This is a way to get a bill," Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) said. "I believe it's worth listening to because I want legislation that is going to, in some shape or form, expand coverage and bring down the cost of health care." Although Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) was an ardent opponent of the stimulus, he has made federal "crime grants to local law enforcement agencies" an "integral part" of his "political machine." Perry has made it sound like the money was his idea, saying Texas "remains dedicated to equipping our law enforcement with the resources necessary to protect our citizens." Military observers, soldiers on the ground, "and some top Pentagon officials are warning that dispatching even tens of thousands more soldiers and Marines" to Afghanistan "might not ensure success." The skeptics say that "the heart of the problem" is that "neither Barack Obama's White House nor the Pentagon has clearly defined America's mission in Afghanistan." The Swedish Committee for Afghanistan, a charity organization that provides health services to Afghans, on Monday accused American soldiers of illegally raiding one of their hospitals, damaging property and tying up patients and staff in the process. Anders Fange, the Committee's country director, told the press, "This is a clear violation of internationally recognized rules and principles." Afghanistan's U.N.-backed Election Complaints Commission "has ordered a number of recounts and audits of votes from last month's presidential election," concluding that there was "clear and convincing evidence of fraud." The Aug. 20 election has been plagued by "claims of mass fraud and ballot-box stuffing against all the main candidates." President Obama's global warming agenda stands in limbo as the administration makes an all-out push to pass health care legislation. "Senate Democrats originally intended to roll out their version of a cap-and-trade climate bill this week, but they have since delayed that schedule until later this month in part because of the brewing battle over health care." The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is launching a $2 million ad campaign aimed at defeating the creation of the Obama administration's proposed Consumer Financial Protection Agency, which would "tightly regulateconsumer products including mortgages and credit cards." Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA)'s office called the campaign nothing more than "scare tactics from the likes of big business." And finally: Sarah and Todd Palin are up for auction. Dinner with the Palins is one of the items in the 10-day charity auction on eBay forRide2Recovery, with the opening bid set at $25,000. However, "dinner will be in Palin's home town, Wasilla, deepest Alaska, and the successful bidder will have to get themselves there at their own expense." |
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