Part 9: Providing a World-Class Education in Every Zip Code
1. Guaranteeing Universal Early Childhood Education
a. expand Head Start and Early Head Start
i. this is a really great summary about what we know and don’t know about the effectiveness of Head Start Programs https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2019/06/14/does-head-start-work-the-debate-over-the-head-start-impact-study-explained/
b. ensure students with disabilities and English language learnings have access to and are fully included in early childhood programs
c. increase funding to make sure low-income and middle-class families can afford child care
i. I think this is really great. There are so many moms who WANT to work, who want to stay in their careers after they have kids, but the price of child care is so high, it doesn’t make financial sense. I am all for women being able to choose to stay home if they WANT to, but I think that should be something they really feel they are consciously choosing, not something that is being forced upon them. (On the other hand, I also think it would be great for mothers to be able to choose to work, not feel as if they have to.)
d. early childhood educators should be paid a family-supporting wage, have access to benefits and paid leave
i. YES. Children are most moldable in the first 3 years of life. We NEED to be acting like their childcare providers matter because they have ENORMOUS impact on these kids lives. Higher income people can pick and choose, but low income individuals are stuck with whatever childcare they can afford, even if it’s pretty terrible.
2. Supporting High-Quality K-12 Schools Across America
a. triple Title I funding
b. expand universal free school meal programs
c. expand the community school model
d. expand access to career and technical education, magnet schools for science and arts, early college high schools
i. I really like this. I feel like in high school, kids should be able to explore more, really figure out what is interesting to them, so they’re not entering college still completely lost as to what they want to do.
e. prioritize STEAM education and funding
f. promote environmental and climate literacy
g. ban for-profit private charter businesses from receiving federal funding
h. increase accountability for charter schools
i. oppose private school vouchers
i. https://www.publicschoolreview.com/blog/the-ongoing-debate-over-school-choice
j. Teachers should not bring firearms into the classroom
k. protect the rights of transgender students
i. This is something as simple as requiring teachers to call a student by their preferred name and pronouns. There have been instances where teachers have refused to do so. This can actually have severe mental health consequences for transgender students.
ii. https://www.gse.upenn.edu/news/educators-playbook/erin-cross-pronouns-gender-identity
iii. https://time.com/5721482/transgender-students-pronouns-teacher-lawsuits/
l. fund federal programs to promote integration and school diversity
i. https://hechingerreport.org/a-scholar-revives-the-argument-for-racial-integration-in-schools/
ii. Also, I highly recommend listening to the podcast series titled “Nice White Parents” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/23/podcasts/nice-white-parents-serial.html
m. increase funding for the Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights
n. increased funding and support for English learners
o. equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities
i. fully fund Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
ii. provide school districts with resources to better serve students with disabilities
1. We REALLY NEED THIS.
iii. ban seclusion and decrease use of physical restraint
p. work to end the use of high-stakes testing
i. states should develop other methods of student assessment that rely on multiple and holistic measures
1. I can hear every teacher that has ever existed yelling a collective Hallelujah!!! Standardized testing is so frustrating for literally everyone except the data collectors. It would be amazing to find a different way to assess students that more accurately reflects their actual abilities instead of just telling you how well they can fill in a little bubble.
q. increase teacher pay and benefits!!
i. help teachers pay for out-of-pocket classroom expenses
1. Again….I can’t think of an educator who would NOT want this.
3. Making Higher Education Affordable and Accessible
a. Make public colleges and universities tuition-free for students whose families earn less than $125,000
i. Free college is one of those things I just don’t know if I can fully get behind. I believe it should be cheaper, sure. I also think we need to work to make community colleges seem less like the “dummy” option. But I worry that if we just make college free, we’ll end up with the apathy you see in high schools. Kids who aren’t working hard to be there will not be motivated to work hard and have a good experience. That’s just my feeling. But on the other hand, it is really dumb that I couldn’t get any federal aid when I was a young student because my dad made too much (but not enough to easily put all 6 of his children through college) but now that I’m married and on my own and our income is much lower than my Dad’s, I’m getting Pell grants that are paying for my school, which I’m incredibly grateful for. So I don’t know.
b. double maximum Pell Grant award for low-income students
i. Ok, so I looked this up and the maximum Pell Grant you can get is $6,195. For a YEAR. Which is great if you’re at a community college, but not so great if you’re done with community college and at a 4 year university where even at some of the cheapest ones, you’ll be out of money just with tuition in one semester.
c. make community colleges and trade school tuition-free for all students
i. I love the idea of making trade schools more accessible for students. We need people to go into the trades and there’s absolutely no shame in learning a trade!
d. support and expand pre-apprenticeship opportunities and registered apprenticeships
i. I think this is a great idea! Some people will do better learning in an apprenticeship setting than in a school setting, and then they can start working sooner.
e. support child care on college campuses
f. promote transparency and fairness regarding higher ed faculty working conditions, including adjuncts, graduate employees and full-time lecturers who are often underpaid
g. support and encourage professor tenure
h. safeguard academic freedom
4. Providing Borrowers Relief from Crushing Student Debt
a. work to authorize up to $10,000 in student debt relief per borrower
b. create a simplified repayment process
c. pause monthly billing and stop interest from accruing on federal student loans for people earning less than $25,000
d. after 20 years, any remaining debt should be forgiven
i. I’m assuming this is if you actually make an effort to pay some of it? Otherwise, what is stopping a person from just…not paying anything for 20 years?
e. For those earning less than $125,000, forgive all undergraduate tuition-related federal student debt from 2 and 4 year public colleges and universities
f. modernize and improve Public Service Loan Forgiveness program
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