During a visit to a charter school in Washington, DC, the president
spoke of "rewarding innovation the way it's taking place here."
All this positive talk is certainly reason to hope for increased federal
support of this innovative and forward-thinking movement. With a
president who genuinely values and understands the importance of
education, the future certainly looks bright.
Sources:
Brooks,David."NoPicnicforMeEither,"TheNewYorkTimes. March12,2009:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/13/opinion/13brooks.
html?scp=30&sq=obama%20charter%20schools&st=cse
Dillon, Sam. "Obama Looks to Lessons from Chicago in his National
Education Plan," The New York Times. Sept. 9, 2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/10/us/politics/10educate.html
Dillon, Sam. "Obama Picks Arne Duncan for Education Post," The New York
Times. Dec. 15, 2009:
http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/obama-picks-
arne-duncan-for-education-post/?scp=44&sq=obama%20
charter%20schools&st=cse
Glod, Maria. "Stimulus Billions May Spur School Reform," CBS News.
March 26, 2009:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/03/26/politics/
washingtonpost/main4894098.shtml
Most recently, Duncan laid out how the government hopes states will
spend their stimulus money: reform. "More money will be dedicated
to charters than ever before," he said, warning that if states don't do
some innovative thinking on the money's usage, "we're going to come
down like a ton of bricks."
The president has also, on more than one occasion, called on those
states that currently have caps on the numbers and size of charters to
lift these restrictions. The administration is "promoting innovation
and excellence in America's schools," and believes that charter
schools are "one of the places where much of that innovation occurs."
Limiting their growth, the president continued, "isn't good for our
children, our economy, or our country."
The President's Biggest Challenge
With much of the news surrounding the president revolving around
the economy, it is important to note the inclusion of education
financing in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also
known as the stimulus plan, drawn up to fix the economy. With the
markets in sustained disarray, many are commenting that this may be
his biggest challenge.
Thoughthejuryisstilloutonexactlyhoweachdollarwillbeallocated,
it is clear that, in the education stipulations in the ARRA, there is
potential for improvement in the charter school market. Duncan has
$5 billion of this fund available to shape school reform and reward
states that push for classroom innovation, $650 million of which will
support partnerships between schools, or schools and non-profits.
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