Actualizing the Pre-Eminence of Education

Summary

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President Barack Obama's first major speech on education called for linking teachers' pay to student performance (merit pay), and expanding charter schools. Teachers and teacher unions are generally against both. However, their response to Obama's speech was mixed with some union leaders welcoming it because they feel he is willing to include them in his decisions, George W. Bush never did. "We finally have an education president," proclaimed the head of American Federation of Teacher; the president of the National Education Association chimed in, "...Obama will do it with educators, not to them."

From Obama's speech, "The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens, (and) ...Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip, our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us."

LAUSD has an Innovative Division (I Division) in selected schools, including Crenshaw and Westchester High Schools and both have a substantial Black student population. Crenshaw is also part of the Los Angeles Urban League's "Neighborhoods Work" initiative, a 70-block multi-dimensional project, liberally funded by conservative corporations. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Partnership, also in its first year, shows early signs of improvement with cleaner campuses, and discernibly improved student conduct.

Under the No Child Left Behind mandate, Black students along with English language learners and special education students are under-achieving sub-groups and each group must be provided special intervention and additional academic assistance and support.

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Actualizing the Pre-Eminence of Education

President Barack Obama's first major speech on education called for linking teachers' pay to student performance (merit pay), and expanding charter schools. Teachers and teacher unions are generally against both. However, their response to Obama's speech wa...

See the full content of this document

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