Monday, October 27, 2008

Obama's "Zero to Five" plan

I am re-posting this post about Obama's education plan because I believe it is so important. The original post was from 9/12.

The media has not focused too much on education, but Obama does have a pretty comprehensive plan.You can read about his education plan here: Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need Education If you scroll down you can click on plans for specific grades. There is a lot to read. While in the state senate Obama helped to create the "Illinois Early Learning Council." Illinois has universal voluntary pre-school for all 4 yr. olds, and for 3 yr. olds who are at risk. Obama will encourage all states to adopt universal voluntary pre-school. He calls this the "Zero to Five Plan."

Obama's plan describes a study that proves that early childhood educational programs "reduced problems such as probation and criminal offenses by as much as 70% over 20 yrs." (when provided to disadvantaged children and families.)
This shows that an investment in early childhood education will help promote a more productive society. Expanding programs like "Head Start" is mentioned in Obama's plan. Under the Bush Admin., Head Start funding was cut.
Obama believes that NCLB is a failure and needs to be reformed, but he agrees with the goal of the plan.

I think those years that Obama spent as a "community organizer" in Chicago helped him to see up close the problems that poor families face, and how important early childhood education is, especially for kids living in poverty.

Research has shown that high quality pre-school programs that teach "school readiness" help to break the cycle of at-risk behaviors, decrease the need for special education, improve language ability, lower the drop out rate, raise test scores. I think pre-school teachers should be paid a whole lot more money for doing such an important job!
NOTE: first 5 comments are from September. Sorry for any confusion.

8 comments:

Bill Villa said...

Not since George McGovern in 1972 have I been as eager to vote for a presidential candidate as I am to cast my vote for Barack Obama for President of the United States. McGovern would have been one of our greatest U.S. Presidents. Barack Obama will be.

Bill Villa said...

I hope people take the time to read and absorb Obama's "Zero to Five" plan ...

granted, it's harder to absorb than a misdirecting sound bite such as "Country First" ... but well worth the effort ...

Angie Villa said...

I looked for McCain's "plan", and found out that there really was no plan available until very recently. Of course he talks about the very divisive issue of school choice and vouchers as being the solution,he wants to hold TEACHERS more accountable (atacks the teacher's union of course),He wants to build on NCLB, His plan for kids living in poverty is more tutoring, but no extra money for any programs. Lots of fed money for virtual schools and experimental schools.


I could not find anything on early childhood ed. I could not find links to specific plans or programs.

I agree that more control should be with state and local govt., less federal involvement in education. But there needs to be federal programs to help disadvantaged kids.

http://www.johnmccain.com/
Informing/News/PressReleases/
Read.aspx?guid=b9a7c28f-141c-4008
-b724-debd2df51642

Bill Villa said...

... just got this e-mail from Lehigh County Commissioner Bill Leiner that I wanted to share with the other 3 or 4 Democrats in our "Country First" Lehigh Walley ...

Let me see if I have this straight ...

* If you grow up in Hawaii, raised by your grandparents, you're "exotic, different."

* Grow up in Alaska eating mooseburgers, a quintessential American story.

* If your name is Barack you're a radical, unpatriotic Muslim.

* Name your kids Willow, Trig and Track, you're a maverick.

* Graduate from Harvard law School and you are unstable.

* Attend 5 different small colleges before graduating, you're well grounded.

* If you spend 3 years as a brilliant community organizer, become the first black President of the Harvard Law Review, create a voter registration drive that registers 150,000 new voters, spend 12 years as a Constitutional Law professor, spend 8 years as a State Senator representing a district with over 750,000 people, become chairman of the state Senate's Health and Human Services committee, spend 4 years in the United States Senate representing a state of 13 million people while sponsoring 131 bills and serving on the Foreign Affairs, Environment and Public Works and Veteran's Affairs committees, you don't have any real leadership experience.

* If your total resume is: local weather girl, 4 years on the city council and 6 years as the mayor of a town with less than 7,000 people, 20 months as the governor of a state with only 650,000 people, then you're qualified to become the country's second highest ranking executive.

* If you have been married to the same woman for 19 years while raising 2 beautiful daughters, all within Protestant churches, you're not a real Christian.

* If you cheated on your first wife with a rich heiress, and left your disfigured wife and married the heiress the next month, you're a Christian.

* If you teach responsible, age appropriate sex education, including the proper use of birth control, you are eroding the fiber of society.

* If , while governor, you staunchly advocate abstinence only, with no other option in sex education in your state's school system while your unwed teen daughter ends up pregnant , you're very responsible.

* If your wife is a Harvard graduate lawyer who gave up a position in a prestigious law firm to work for the betterment of her inner city community, then gave that up to raise a family, your family's values don't represent America's.

* If you're husband is nicknamed "First Dude", with at least one DWI conviction and no college education, who didn't register to vote until age 25 and once was a member of a group that advocated the secession of Alaska from the USA, your family is extremely admirable.

OK, much clearer now.

Angie Villa said...

Thank-you BV, the choice is crystal clear for me. Go Obama!!!

Angie Villa said...

At the QCD blog there is an informative post about Allentown's Central Elementary School, where almost 90% of the students receive free or reduced lunch. THey have a high attendance rate (92%) and there scores in Reading and Math have improved. Many of these students may have attended the free pre-school programs offered at Lincoln and Midway Manor Early Childhood Centers in the ASD. Head Start has always been part of those programs, so I hope they can continue to provide Early Childhood services for at risk youth and kids living in poverty.

Anonymous said...

I just wanted to comment on this particular post as a former teacher, union rep and now current doctoral student in education. A better link would have been to the sad state of affairs that is McCain's education plan. Filled with the theme of school choice-lovely solution because we all know how every parent, especially in the lower SES areas, are involved and committed to their children's education. Leave how many behind?

Angie Villa said...

Hi Bart,
Thanks for commenting. I agree, school choice leaves many poor students left behind in failing schools. McCain proposes tutoring for poor students, but how will the govt. fund it? We know that NCLB is underfunded. How is the Maverick different than Bush on this one?