Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Sun editorial:

Education and economics

President’s plan would strengthen schools and America’s position in the world

President Barack Obama on Tuesday gave his first policy speech on education and laid out an ambitious vision that included merit pay for teachers, higher standards and longer school days.

Critics immediately attacked the president, saying he is doing too much and should instead be focused solely on the economy. But education and the economy are intertwined. Over the past few decades, America’s student achievement has lagged behind that of other industrialized nations. As a result, America is at a disadvantage in a world that demands highly educated workers.

“The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children,” Obama said. “We cannot afford to let it continue. What is at stake is nothing less than the American dream.”

Obama is calling for an overhaul of the education system “from the cradle up through a career.” He laid out plans to support early childhood education, which plays a critical role in student development. He wants to improve teacher pay and performance. He said ineffective teachers should not be allowed to continue in the classroom. Obama also called for more funding for school innovation programs that prepare students for the marketplace.

This is a welcome shift in policy. During the Bush administration, education policy was driven by the No Child Left Behind Act, which failed miserably. The act locked schools into performance measures based largely on standardized testing.

Obama called for standards “that don’t simply measure whether students can fill in a bubble on a test but whether they possess 21st-century skills like problem-solving and critical thinking, entrepreneurship and creativity.”

America’s economy has always relied on the industry of its people, but our nation’s schools have not had the resources to prepare students to do the job. Congress should embrace the president’s vision and move quickly to pass legislation to get the schools back on track.

Join the Discussion:

Check this out for a full explanation of our conversion to the LiveFyre commenting system and instructions on how to sign up for an account.

Full comments policy