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Arne Duncan on the future of education in the U.S.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan addresses the opening session of the first federal Bullying Prevention Summit August 11, 2010 in Washington, D.C.
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Jeremy Hobson: Well when House republicans passed their budget plan last month it included cuts to education. Those cuts have been taken off the table for now by Senate Democrats/ But at the state level education budgets are being cut.
Let's talk education funding and more now with the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. He's with us from Washington. Good morning.
Arne Duncan: Good morning, thanks for having me.
Hobson: Thanks for being here. Now you've called for a overhaul of the No Child Left Behind law. What do you want Congress to do?
Duncan: We want to fix it. We think a lot of it is broken and we want it fixed before the August recess, so we can go back into the new school year with a law that's much fairer, that's much more focused, and a lot more flexible.
Hobson: I've seen that 82 percent of schools might fail the goals that are set in the law this year. Why do you want to keep this law?
Duncan: Well we want to fix it. And the law's far too punitive; there are many, many ways to fail. No rewards for success. It's led to a dumbing down of standards, which is a huge problem. And it's led to a narrowing of the curriculum, and we can fix all of those things.
Hobson: You've said we have to educate our way to a better economy, but many states seem to be doing just the opposite: they're making steep cuts to education budgets. What would you say to state lawmakers about how to cut education smartly?
Duncan: If governors have to cut, there are smart ways to cut, and frankly, there are dumb ways to cut. You have some governors who are cutting early childhood education. I just simply can't support that. Our three- and four-year-olds don't have lobbyists, but if we want to close achievement gaps -- if we're serious about giving every single child a chance to be successful -- we have to enter kindergarten ready to learn and ready to read.
Hobson: On to college education now -- you need more than a high school degree to make it in this economy, but college tuition is going up. Do you think poor kids are going to be left out in this new economy?
Duncan: I don't. You see some universities, to your point, raising tuition. You see some universities that are actually reducing costs. You see some universities going to three-year programs. You see some going to no-frills campuses. And I think our students and their parents are smart and they're savvy and where universities are escalating costs in ways that just don't make any sense, I think they're going to lose market share.
Hobson: What do you think is a reasonable percentage of people that we should expect can get a college degree in this country?
Duncan: What's been so interesting, Jeremy, is that one generation ago, we led the world in college graduates. And we've fallen from first to ninth. And the president and I just fundamentally believe we have to educate our way to a better economy, so he wants us a decade from now to again lead the world in college graduates. We'll have to go from about 42 percent of our 25- to 34-year-olds to about 60 percent. That's an ambitious goal but I'm convinced we can make it.
Hobson: Arne Duncan is the U.S. Secretary of Education. Secretary Duncan, thanks so much for joining us on the Marketplace Morning Report.
Duncan: Thanks, have a great day now.
As an early childhood educator, I work in a tough part of the feild! Not, only for the reasons stated above, but where our place falls in the field of education! I receive much negativity from other professionals and even families. We are looked at as babysitters! Treated like our job is not equal to that of other teachers. My colleages and I often do not fit into conversation in the teachers lounge, as if we have nothing in common or don't belong!
With this in mind, I want to thank the previous responders for giving our profession it's due! We are setting the stage for future learning! Things I once learned in kindergarten and first grade are not being taught in preschool! We ARE the first to alert a family and find resources! We are not only educators but often take on the role of nurse, mommy, and even social worker! And who is the first to get cut? Early childhood because preschool is not mandatory! We get the low salary, worst benefits and least Amount of respect and recognition.
As an early childhood educator, I work in a tough part of the feild! Not, only for the reasons stated above, but where our place falls in the field of education! I receive much negativity from other professionals and even families. We are looked at as babysitters! Treated like our job is not equal to that of other teachers. My colleages and I often do not fit into conversation in the teachers lounge, as if we have nothing in common or don't belong!
With this in mind, I want to thank the previous responders for giving our profession it's due! We are setting the stage for future learning! Things I once learned in kindergarten and first grade are not being taught in preschool! We ARE the first to alert a family and find resources! We are not only educators but often take on the role of nurse, mommy, and even social worker! And who is the first to get cut? Early childhood because preschool is not mandatory! We get the low salary, worst benefits and least Amount of respect and recognition.
While I appreciate the importance of early childhood education, we have a huge problem with high school drop outs, especially in the Hispanic community. Considering that the number of Hispanics are supposed to grow in relation to other races, that means we need to do something fast to get them to stay in school. The difference between the lifetime income of a high school drop out and someone who has a bachelors degree is $1 million! Plus a drop out can cost their community $500K in public assistance, health care and incarceration charges (half of all prison inmates are drop outs). Think of the impact that has on our tax base, not to mention our society.
The secretary is right in his statements about NCLB "dumbing down and narrowing the curriculum". As a former special education teacher I'm with Arne and JoniDowney regarding the critical importance of early childhood development and education. All one need do is turn to the research. Our early childhood educators - pre-preschool, preschool and kindergarden are truly the unsung heros of education, responsible for setting children and families on the path to future success. They are frequently the first identifiers of short and long-term academic, physical and emotional problems and concerns. They have the hardest jobs in the field of education. Imagine having the responsibility of informing a young parent of thier childs posible learning or emotional disability, and the even greater task of finding the much needed programs and supports for said child in an environment of diminishing resources.
I agree with not eliminating early childhood. As a preschool teacher myself, and a parent of grown children, it is vital for our children today to be prepared for school. When a child likes school, has a positive environment to learn and grow in, they will achieve greatness at an early age. I am the creator and founder of Characters of Character NFP, Inc. We provide tools and resources to teach our young children about good character traits. When introduced at an early age, the learn the importance of these vital traits, they internalize them and model them. www.charactersofcharacter.org
Academics will be engaging when a child feels confident in themselves.
