n Iowa, Edwards Unveils Education Plan -- Including Universal Pre-K
By Benjy Sarlin - September 21, 2007, 2:07PM
Standing in front of a Middle School in Des Moines today, John Edwards laid out an ambitious education agenda that includes everything from universal preschool to a massive overhaul of No Child Left Behind. Details after the jump.
John Edwards' plan covers a wide variety of issues. Here are some of the highlights:
1) Universal Pre-school
Edwards' plan would fund pre-school education in low income neighborhoods with the goal of expanding towards universal pre-school education. Attendance would be voluntary and families would pay for the service on a sliding scale. Edwards also wants to replicate North Carolina's Start Smart program on a national scale. Start Smart prepares young children for school by funding health screenings and family counseling in addition to child care and early education.
2) Create Incentives to Teach in Poor Schools
Veteran teachers and teachers who are certified for excellence would be eligible for $5,000 bonuses for working in schools with high poverty. Successful schools in poor areas could reward their teachers with a $5,000 bonus.
3) Recruit and Retain New Teachers
Edwards wants to create a National Teachers University, "a West Point for teachers," that would train 1,000 college students a year and waive tuition if they worked in low-income schools afterwards. To deal with high burnout rates among new teachers, Edwards proposes easing young teachers into the profession with lower workloads at first and by pairing them with veteran mentors.
4) Reform No Child Left Behind
Edwards wants to change NCLB to incorporate broader and more long term measures of student performance. His proposed reforms would also give states more freedom to distribute funds and implement their own reforms.
5) More Schools, Smaller Schools, More Integrated Schools
Edwards emphasizes smaller class and school sizes. Wading into one of the great controversial issues of the 1970s, Edwards says that racial and economic segregation are national problems. However, while acknowledging "income diversity is not a substitute for racial diversity," Edwards directly addresses only the economic end, calling on states to create more magnet schools in poor areas and to create incentives for middle class schools to enroll more poor students. To boost graduation rates among poor students, Edwards proposes schools dedicated to educating former dropouts.
