Enough is Enough: Obama Lays Out Education Reform Plan

President Obama stood before the 19th Annual Legislative Conference of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Washington and laid out his plan for education reform, starting from the ground floor with early education and working right on up through higher education.

“So let there be no doubt: The future belongs to the nation that best educates its citizens,” Obama told those gathered at the March 10 event. “And my fellow Americans, we have everything we need to be that nation. We have the best universities, the most renowned scholars. We have innovative principals and passionate teachers and gifted students, and we have parents whose only priority is their child's education. We have a legacy of excellence, and an unwavering belief that our children should climb higher than we did.”

Despite these unmatched resources, Obama said grades have slipped, schools have crumbled, teacher quality has fallen short and other nations are outpacing America.

“The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy, it's unsustainable for our democracy, it's unacceptable for our children – and we can't afford to let it continue. What's at stake is nothing less than the American Dream,” the president said.

The time for finger-pointing is over, Obama said. It is time to hold ourselves accountable and not just require new investments, but new reforms as well.

“It's time to give all Americans a complete and competitive education from the cradle up through a career,” the president said. “We've accepted failure for far too long. Enough is enough. America's entire education system must once more be the envy of the world – and that's exactly what we intend to do.”

The recently-submitted FY 2010 budget, he said, is intended to begin the process of making America's education system once more the envy of the world. It starts with what he calls “a little housekeeping,” by cutting wasteful education spending and finding out which programs work. Freeing up those resources will allow for the first pillar of education reform --- investing in early childhood initiatives.

“This isn't just about keeping an eye on our children,” Obama said. “It's about educating them.”

Numerous studies have shown that children in early childhood education programs are more likely to score higher in math and reading, more likely to graduate from high school and attend college, more likely to hold a job and more likely to early more in that job. Obama said for every $1 invested in these programs, $10 comes back in reductions to welfare rolls, health care costs and criminal justice.

“Even as we invest in early childhood education, let's raise the bar for early learning programs that are falling short,” he said. “Now, today, some children are enrolled in excellent programs. Some children are enrolled in mediocre programs. And some are wasting away their most formative years in bad programs. That includes the one-fourth of all children who are Hispanic, and who will drive America's workforce of tomorrow, but who are less likely to have been enrolled in an early childhood education program than anyone else.”

So the president issued a challenge to the states: Develop a cutting-edge plan to raise quality of early learning programs and show how these programs will ensure children are prepared for success when they enter kindergarten. If that can be done, the government will offer support through an Early Learning Challenge Grant that Obama will call upon Congress to enact.

“That is how we will reward quality and incentivize excellence, and make a down payment on the success of the next generation,” the president said.

The four remaining pillars to education reform include: 2) a race to the top in schools by encouraging better standards and assessments and provide teachers and principals with information to make sure students are prepared to meet those standards; 3) recruiting, preparing and rewarding outstanding teachers. 4) promoting innovation and excellence in schools (including the expansion of high-quality charter schools and expanded-day programs for children who need them) and 5) providing every American with a quality higher education – whether it's college or technical training, by taking steps to make college or technical schools more affordable.

Obama has a strong education agenda, which included early education, a pillar he deems a strong foundation for success. He is committed to helping states develop seamless, comprehensive and coordinated “Zero to Five” systems to improve developmental outcomes and early learning for all children. In the 2010 budget, Early Learning Challenge Grants will encourage states to raise the bar on the quality of early education, upgrade workforce quality and drive improvements across multiple federal, state and local funding streams. He supports incentive grants to states that will support data collection across programs such as Head Start, child care, pre-kindergarten and other early learning settings, push for uniform quality standards and step up efforts for the most disadvantaged children.