September 10, 2008

JOHN MCCAIN'S PLAN FOR STRENGTHENING AMERICA'S SCHOOLS

This week, John McCain Outlined His Vision For Strengthening Education To Ensure Opportunity For Every American.  John McCain's education policy removes needless bureaucracy, empowers parents, teachers and principals and ensures that every child has the opportunity to gain from a quality education.  John McCain and Sarah Palin will enact meaningful reform in education.

John McCain's Education Principles:

• Meaningful Reform - Now is the time to demand real, new reform earned through discipline, grinding work, tough choices and leadership. John McCain has dedicated his career in public service to the hard and sometimes unpopular work of achieving meaningful reform.
  
  
• The Education System Must Provide For Equality Of Choice. Too many of our children are trapped by geography and by economics in failing schools.
  
  
• We Must Empower Parents. Involved and empowered parents and excellent teachers are the two greatest determining factors in a child's education. If we are to succeed, we must empower committed parents with critical knowledge about their child's performance, and empower them with real and meaningful choices to act upon that knowledge.
  
  
• We Must Empower Teachers. If America is to truly reform public education and make good on the promise of individual freedom and independence through knowledge, we must ensure that every child has the opportunity to be inspired and motivated to achieve their potential by a strong classroom leader.

John McCain's Education Policy:

• John McCain Will Provide Effective Education Leadership. John McCain is committed to high standards and accountability, but he is also committed to providing the resources needed to succeed. He believes we should invest in people, parents and reward achievement.
  
  
• John McCain Will Work To Ensure That Our Children Have Quality Teachers. The single biggest challenge in turning around a failing school is getting quality teachers into that school. To overcome this challenge, John McCain will:
  
  
• Encourage Alternative Certification Methods That Open The Door For Highly Motivated Teachers To Enter The Field. John McCain will devote five percent of Title II funding to states to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25 percent of their class or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America, the New York City Teaching Fellowship Program, the New Teacher Project, or excellent university initiatives.
  
  
• Provide Funding For Needed Professional Teacher Development. Where federal funds are involved, teacher development money should be used to enhance the ability of teachers to perform in today's technology driven environment. We need to provide teachers with high quality professional development opportunities with a primary focus on instructional strategies that address the academic needs of their students.
  
  
• John McCain Believes We Must Empower School Principals With Greater Control Over Spending. Funding cannot be effectively apportioned in Washington, but it shouldn't be a state-level official or district bureaucrat either. The money must be controlled by the leader we hold accountable: the school principal with a single criterion to raise student achievement.
  
  
• John McCain Will Make Real The Promise Of NCLB By Giving Parents Greater Choice. Choice is the best way to protect
  children against a failing bureaucracy. But parents must have more control over the money.

 

This Week's Note From Jo Ann:

The quality of the education we provide America's children directly impacts our ability to compete in a global economy.

John McCain's and Sarah Palin's education principles and policies will accomplish this goal.

Please share these Talking Points.

Click here for the complete archive of the Co-Chairman's Talking Points