"Education is the key to America's economic growth and prosperity and to our ability to compete in the global economy." This is the very first line from the Draft Plan.
President Obama has a very aggressive plan for the future of our educational system. The main two goals of the plan are: To raise the proportion of college graduates from where it is now (around 41 percent) so that 60 percent of our population holds a two-year degree or four-year degree by 2020. The other goal is to close the achievement gap so that all students graduate from high school ready to succeed in college and careers.
This plan is a five year actions plan that involves five areas of change. Learning is the first area. It states that we need to revise, create and implement standards and learning objectives with technology. Also to implement learning resources to use the power of technology to reach all learners anywhere and anytime. Next is designing and implementing assessments that give timely and actionable assessments to students, educators and stakeholders. To do more research to explore interactive technologies. Teaching is also an area of concern. We need to expand opportunities for educators to have access to technology-based content. To leverage social networking technologies to create educator communities. To provide all learners with online access and increase educators digital literacy.
Infrastructure was also addressed. Schools will need to provide sufficient access to the internet and adequate wireless connectivity for in and out of school. To ensure that every student and educator have at least one internet access device for use in and out of school. To support more open technology-based courses. To build state and local education agencies capacity for evolving an infrastructure for learning. Lastly, the issue of productivity. We need to define a common definition of productivity and ways to assess if it is being met.
The plan also calls for rethinking our basic assumptions of our own education system. Then the plan listed a few things that can be done to help with this. One was for the Department of Education to transfer technology from other sectors like business and entertainment into education and providing grants.
I have several positive and negative thoughts about this plan. First, I feel that there are many outside factors that are causing students to drop out of school that this plan does not address. Personal issues play a large role into some students decisions to drop out of school that have nothing to do with their education. If a school could provide more counseling opportunities students would feel they had more choices to stay in school. That is just one suggestion I have. I do feel that we need to provide kids in low budget schools with the same opportunities as kids in more affluent schools. This plan may help with that since it calls for all students to have a their own internet access device in and out of school. Also, the plan to transfer technology from businesses and from the entertainment industry to very inventive. There is so much money in the entertainment industry and with such high tech equipment that some students would never dream of being able to work with. One option would be to donate equipment that was being replaced to the schools in low economic areas.
In conclusion, all plans have to start somewhere and this is a good start. However, there are numerous areas that also need to be addressed. Starting with technology is a good start but it doesn't need to end there. Some students do not plan to go to college. They will go to a trade school. There used to be classes in high school that taught trades such as welding, farming and homemaking. Those things were cut when budgets were cut along with music and art classes. I believe high school should offer a wide range of classes beside technology classes. Technology is in everything we do but it is not the only profession that there is. These other areas do not need to be neglected.
As an educator, I have to meet the needs of the kids first. Those needs are more often emotional than educational. I provide more than an education, I provide emotional stability to students who have none. Before I can start class some days, I have to meet physical and emotional needs. The school provides nourishment along with books and computers. I hope that isn't forgotten in this digital age.
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