The Federal Bailout Plan for Schools

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Virginia is the 7th eealthiest state yet ranks 43rd in per pupil expenditure and 44th in teacher salary that is 6% below the national average. Now the govenor wants to cut $650M in funding a bout 75% of that permanent cuts. How can our students be globally competitive?

Dean Fetterolf of VA 1:08PM January 28, 2009

I agree as well that parent involvement is huge indicator in a student's success.
When are we going to hold parents accountable for something. Without consistency and follow through at home the village will fail. Check out what happens when parents of children who are in the Department of Defense School fails to follow through with their children.

Joshua of CA 6:08PM January 23, 2009

As a parent of a child in special education in a public
school in the south, there is a great need for increased
funding in this area of education. At the public school
my child attends , special education is always last to
get any funding for things such as computers. I went before
the child development board to propose a purchase for a
reading interactive software program for the children
with mental handicaps and I was told flat out forget it
no funding. What is this country going to do with all of
these untrained kids with the explosion of kids diagnosed
with autism and similar problems? My child is one who will
graduate in two years from high school with the education
level of about a 7th grader. Throughout her high school
years she has been totally left behind (Ha! The No Child
Left Behind Act). She can not pass the High School Exit
Exam , so she has been virtually ignored. What she has
learned to a great extent has been at home with me.

Tina Murphree of AL 4:54PM January 21, 2009

Although some of the money may be helpful, overall, it will simply enable school districts to do business as usual. "If you always do what you always do, you always get what you always get" and we are not getting value for the dollars being expended.
This is why we are in the economic crisis--spending beyond our means and spending whatever we have and don't have. It keeps adding and adding to programs, services and particularly staffing that has no relationship to enrollment increases or decreases.
Why do the industrialized countries and private education continue to ourscore public education outcomes? Simply. They concentrate on core academics. In the U.S. we spend more money on electives than on core subjects and that is one reason why achievement lags.

Dr. Armand A. Fusco of CT 1:13PM January 20, 2009

Parent involvement is the single most accurate predictor of student achievement - across educational, cultural and class lines. Parent interaction during the first 3 years of a child's life affects gene expression, and consequently the physiology of the brain. Parents also have singular influence in cultivating a love for learning, and expectations of hard work and respect. It is difficult to overstate the influence parents have on education.
So my questions are:
What do the investments above assume about the role of parents?
Second, how do the investments influence the role of parents?
How do these investments treat parents as the PRIMARY stakeholders in education?
Graham Scharf
Co-founder, Tumblon.com
Education blog: tumblon.com/essentialquestions

Graham Scharf of NY 6:41PM January 16, 2009

For far too long, the federal government has shortchanged economically disadvantaged students and those with special needs. That’s why ASCD is encouraged to see the doubling of targeted funds to Title I and IDEA in this recovery package. This demonstrates to us that this Congress is serious about meeting its obligations to our most disadvantaged children.
But this cannot be seen as a short-term economic fix. This level of funding needs to continue – as part of a long-term investment in our human capital. It’s a strategy that will continue to pay dividends long after this crisis has passed.
David Griffith
ASCD public policy director

David Griffith of VA 3:17PM January 16, 2009