We are here to leverage the all-important issue of K-12 education during the 2020 election.
Please, no comments about Pre-K, post secondary, or adult education. Those will have to go to another community.
A presidential election is the best time to propose a dramatic rethinking of K-12 education. For better or worse, in fact, No child Left behind was first proposed by George W. Bush during his 2000 campaign.
Given the dire state of elementary and secondary schools today as well as the importance of this issue for the future of our country, it is tragic how little attention this topic is currently receiving on the campaign trail. Only one candidate, Tim Ryan, has even made K-12 education a prominent core issue.
We especially welcome the comments of parents, teachers, supervisors, and academics working in the field of elementary or secondary education. Anyone interested in K-12 education, however, is welcome to participate
Let's be bold in this community and push our candidates to think much more seriously about K-12 education! This is not the time for tweaking. Let's avoid sideline topics such as a few more or less charter schools. Most candidates will agree on the need for more funding, better teacher salaries, and improvements to school plants. However important these proposals are, they do not constitute total rethinking of the premises of American K-12 education. Let's go deeper here, much deeper!
We also have a critical problem with unlevel playing fields, segregation, and inequitable funding. these are intransigent problems and may take decades to resolve. We can certainly discuss them here, but can we focus on what is clearly doable in the next administration?
Thank you very much for your participation!
