Nota1:

Estats Units Espanya

Escola privada “charter school” = “concertada”

Nota2: Els EE.UU. han definit que volen fer, com ho volen fer i quins objectius s’han
d’assolir. Lamentablement a Catalunya no tenim els polítics que puguin fer el mateix. Idem
del MEC i associats.

Obama, taking on unions, backs teacher merit pay

By PHILIP ELLIOTT, Associated Press Writer Philip Elliott, Associated Press Writer – 2 mins ago

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama embraced merit pay for teachers Tuesday in
spelling out a vision of education that will almost certainly alienate union backers.

Educators oppose charter schools because they divert tax dollars away from traditional public
schools. Merit-based systems for teachers have for years been anathema to teachers' unions,
a powerful force in the Democratic Party.

Obama acknowledged this in his talk to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"Too many supporters of my party have resisted the idea of rewarding excellence in teaching
with extra pay, even though we know it can make a difference in the classroom," he said,
delivering the first major education speech of his presidency. "Too many in the Republican
Party have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of its
importance."

But he argued that a far-reaching overhaul of the nation's education system is an

economic imperative that can't wait, despite the urgency of the financial crisis and other
pressing issues.

"Despite resources that are unmatched anywhere in the world, we have let our grades slip,
our schools crumble, our teacher quality fall short, and other nations outpace us," Obama
said. "The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy,
unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children. We cannot afford
to let it continue. What is at stake is nothing less than the American dream."

The ideas the president promoted were nearly all elements of his campaign platform last year.
He only barely mentioned the reauthorization of the Bush-era No Child Left Behind Act, which
introduced sweeping reforms that schools are struggling to meet without the funding to match.
Obama said his administration would "later this year" ensure that schools get the funding they
need and that the money is conditioned on results.

Among the principles Obama laid out were:

• Challenging states to adopt world-class standards rather than a specific standard.
Obama's economic stimulus plan includes a $5 billion incentive fund to reward states
for, among other things, boosting the quality of standards and state tests, and the
president said the Education Department would create a fund to invest in innovation.
 • Improved pre-kindergarten programs, including $5 billion in the stimulus plan to grow
Head Start, expand child care access and do more for children with special needs. He
also said he would offer 55,000 first-time parents regular visits from trained nurses and
said that states that develop cutting-edge plans to raise the quality of early learning
programs would get an Early Learning Challenge Grant, if Congress approves the new
program.

• Reducing student dropout rates. To students, Obama said: "Don't even think about
dropping out of school." But he said that reducing the dropout rates also requires
turning around the worst schools, something he asked lawmakers, parents and
teachers to make "our collective responsibility as Americans."

• Repeating his call for everyone to commit to at least one year or more of higher
education or career training, with the goal of highest proportion of college graduates in
the world by the year 2020.

On charter schools, he said the caps instituted by some

states on how many are allowed aren't "good for our
children, our economy, or our country."

Obama also spoke at length about what he described

his policy toward teachers, what he called an
`unprecedented commitment to ensure that anyone
entrusted with educating our children is doing the job
as well as it can be done." In up to 150 more school
districts, Obama said, teachers will get mentoring,
more money for improved student achievement and
new responsibilities.

Also, Obama said, "We need to make sure our

students have the teacher they need to be successful.
That means states and school districts taking steps to
move bad teachers out of the classroom. Let me be
clear: if a teacher is given a chance but still does not
improve, there is no excuse for that person to continue President Barack Obama speaks,
teaching." accompanied by Education Secretary Arne
Duncan, right, speaks during an
unscheduled visit to a meeting of the
The president acknowledged that a rethinking of the Council of Chief State School officers,
traditional American school day may not be welcome Tuesday, March 10, 2009, in Washington.
— "not in my family, and probably not in yours" — but
is critical.

"The challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom," Obama said. "If they
can do that in South Korea, we can do it right here in the United States of America."

After the speech, Obama stopped at a hotel to drop in on another meeting, an already
scheduled and ongoing round-table discussion between Education Secretary Arne Duncan
and the Council of Chief State School Officers, which involves the heads of education from
every state and U.S. territory
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090310/ap_on_go_pr_wh/obama_education
video:
http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/ynews;_ylt=Av3hcqS.jeYdo0yJKbCrYMkGw_IE;_ylu=X3oD
MTE5NDdnN3JxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl9yX3RvcF92aWRlbwRzbGsDb2JhbWF1c211c3Rp?
ch=4226713&cl=12414384&lang=en

Nota 3: Les parts en negreta i cursiva els hi he posat expressament.