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Home > Blogs > Get on the Bus > Archives > 2007 > December > 29 > Entry
Obama: Save arts, music, language, literature
The presidential primary process may get a little tiring after a while, but one thing I like about it is it gives a lot of regular folks the chance to talk to the candidates and ask them real questions about things that concern them in their personal experience.
Already in this presidential race, we’ve seen that you can walk up to them and ask a question in New Hampshire and that a five-year-old can get an interview with a presidential contender in North Carolina.
Now in Iowa, a high school student gets to ask her question to Barack Obama. And it’s a good one.
Amelia Schoeneman joined the editorial board of the Quad City Times of Davenport, Iowa, in a session with Barack Obama, where she told him her high schools is constantly fighting for funding to keep its arts program going. She wanted to know how Obama could help.
If you follow the link you can hear his reply yourself. Basically, he said we need to change No Child Left Behind so all the focus is not on reading, math and science. Specifically, he wants to make sure arts, music, foreign language, social studies and literature are covered.
To do this, Obama said we need to change the way kids are tested. And, he argued, if we do it will reduce dropouts by making school more engaging.
What do you think of Obama’s take on NCLB, arts education and their affect on drop outs?
This post also appears on the Education Writers Association’s Education Election blog.
(Image credit: Quad City Times)
Permalink | Comments (3) | Categories: Tracking Barack Obama
Comments
By keith
December 30, 2007 11:16 AM | Link to this
Beautifully stated, Mary. The main problem with education has been who runs it. There are principals and leaders who care about academics for most of the kids instead of principals and administrators who care about the athletes. But most disticts consider subs and teachers as throwaways if they don’t go along with the program. I can think of how so many administrators are taking retirement money out of the STRS and are reemployed the next day (school year at least) at the same pay from the district instead of a greatly reduced pay (sounds like the Human Services group with their alcohol guy at $120K year reemployed because noone else could do that job? Duh). Furthermore the districts even make the retirees suck money from the STRS using the healthcare of the STRS retired program rather than the district’s healthcare. We need fresh administrators who care about academics for all. How about NACLB (No Academic Child Left Behind). But the real problem is the President candidates shouldn’t even be talking education: education is the States’ issue. This all is leading to more socialism in the federal arena.By Mary
December 29, 2007 11:39 PM | Link to this
I don’t buy the concept that testing causes schools to cancel arts, music foreign language, etc. That is a cop out and an easy excuse. Has testing caused schools to cancel football and basketball? It is a matter of priorities with principals and administrators taking their academic and curriculum offerings as seriously as they do their sports offerings. Most students can pass the tests for NCLB with their eyes blindfolded, but are forced to sit while the lowest performing students are being coached in heterogeneously (mixed) ability grouped classes. Of course, the same administrators allow and expect sports to be taught differently with only the best grouped on the team. Administrators and principals are biased and re supportive toward excellence in sports, but mediocrity and dumbing down are promoted for academics.By Rich
December 29, 2007 10:53 AM | Link to this
sigh I’d LOVE to see another act put into law, something we could call “NLLB”. That, of course, would be “No Legislator Left Behind”, and it would REQUIRE yearly assessments that all laws coming from Columbus, Washington DC and all other capitals are better, better, BETTER. This assessment would obviously be standards-based, and would allow objective comparisons of legislatures across this country. No time to waste! Failure is not an option! ALL legislators would have to be proficient at crafting laws no later than the year 2013! How about it, folks? This would be the most effective way to improve EVERYTHING in our country within 5 years - don’t you agree?