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One of the greatest problems facing my community and the nation at large is the educational system. Millions of children receive a wholly inadequate education in too many of America's schools. As a consequence these children will not be ready to enter the workforce or lead productive lives. Fixing this broken system is a necessary investment in our children's' future. I believe merit-based pay, higher standards, and an earnest attempt to attract high quality teachers can guarantee each child a world-class education when he or she enters school.Currently, teachers are normally paid regardless of whether their pupils learn. Even worse, incompetent teachers are able to get tenure. This system has to change. In the private sector, professionals are judged by the results they produce. This principle should be applied to public schools. Teachers should be held accountable for how well their students learn. Excellent teachers who produce good results would be paid accordingly; in fact, great teachers should have a chance to make the same salaries as other professionals such as lawyers. However, bad teachers whose students do not learn would be paid less and they would certainly not get tenure. Those who failed to produce year after year would be fired.
Excellence must be the expectation, but all too often it is the exception to the rule. This has to change. That is why we need higher standards for our schools. No longer should it be acceptable for children to graduate high school reading at a fifth grade level, or barely knowing how to do basic math. Every kid should be able to read, write, and do math at grade level. To measure this, we unfortunately need standardized testing. Schools must be required to pass a very high percentage of kids. Schools should have smaller class sizes and free tutoring to help achieve this goal. These moves would cost lots of money, but they are necessary if we want our children to get a better education. If the standards are not met, then the principal and administrators should be replaced. Parents should also have the choice to move their children into higher performing schools. Unlike the No Child Left Behind act however, I would not cut funding for poorly performing schools; such schools need more money, not less.
Finally, our schools need an army of bright teachers to come into the schools. Too often, the public schools system is seen as a dumping ground for those who cannot cut it in other lines of work. This is a recipe for disaster. Often, the worse the teacher, the more likely he or she is to end up in poor districts that need smart, inspiring teachers for their students. In order to get better teachers, we need to recruit the brightest students in the country. To do this, teaching has to be a more lucrative career. Most bright undergraduates will not consider a poorly paid teaching position when they can work in an investment bank unless teaching pays comparably. Also, for college students who agree to work for five years, the government should pay their loans, and offer to pay for a graduate program of their choice. Making these changes can give so many children a shot at a good education.
