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Education I am a product of the public school system. I believe it is one of the things that makes American great and is the promise of tomorrow. I will oppose any measure which would weaken the public school system. Increasing the investment in the education of our citizens at all ages will be one my primary goals. I believe strongly that public investment needs to be in the public school system. I respect parents’ decision to educate their child in a non-public school but I will not support using public funds to support that decision. One of the main functions of government is to provide our youth a quality education. Education should be a life long activity. Education is the key to success. Other cultures value and honor the Role of Teachers. In the US, however, our teachers have to fight for safe work environments and a living wage. We live in a global economy. Our children must be prepared for the world they face today and the world the will be facing tomorrow. The competition for quality jobs requires a quality education. Our kids need to be ready to compete for the high skilled jobs of tomorrow not only with California and Texas but also with India and China. Teachers are key to our kids success and yet we make them fight for a living wage. Education is our investment in our children's future. Unfortunately, we lag behind other countries in elementary and secondary education. In Japan all children can speak Japanese, English, and at least one other language. We reward and recognize student athletes as we should. We should encourage physical fitness and participation in athletics which teaches team building and social skills. However, we need to do a better job rewarding and recognizing students for achievements in Math and Science. The son of a friend of mine is a very smart kid who intentionally tries to not be too smart in front of his friends. He would rather be cool than smart. We need to change this mind set. Colorado should be leading the US in providing world-class, quality education. I will lead the effort to improve our schools, invest in science and math education, and work to make Colorado a leader in Medical and Nursing education. I will also support Adult Education programs. All citizens should plan for their continuous education and skill development. To remain competitive in the global economy, citizens need to be continually refreshing and expanding their skills. I will support incentives to employers to provide ongoing education and skill development including tuition reimbursement programs and tax breaks to assist employers fund their employee training programs. I will also support programs for self-employed citizens to continue education and skill development. I am a product of the Public School system. I grew up in an area where the public schools were well funded. I support magnet or charter type schools within the public school systems. Within the public school system, magnet or charter schools encourages competition and choice which leads to improved schools and an improved education experience for students. However, I do not support school vouchers which would drain scarce funds from the public school system to fund private schools. The CSAT test was implemented as a way to measure school performance as part of the so called "No child left behind" program implemented by the Bush Administration. This test which attempts to measure schools' and educators' performance has led to negative results because it leads educators to teach to the test and not teach the subject. I believe we should return to the testing program developed and maintained by the state of Iowa. We need to use student testing to measure the student's performance, not that of the school or the educator. A teacher who has multiple students with learning disabilities should not be considered a low performing teacher if his or her students to not score well on CSAT. Likewise, a teacher or school who happen to have students who score well on CSAT is not necessarily high performers. Student testing should be done to measure the students aptitude, not whether the teacher or school's percentage of high aptitude students. I believe strongly we need to encourage our kids to get a global education. Foreign language and cultural studies will make a student better prepared for the global economy and the world of the future. I would also like to see our students get more exposure to basic civics and how to function in society. Students should be encouraged to participate in community activities. Please click the link below to share your thoughts about this issue. Click here to send comments about issue - Education. |
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