Post by bot on May 13, 2004 21:40:12 GMT -5
A Great Teacher for Every Child: John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers
5/6/2004 10:03:00 AM
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Laura Capps of John Kerry for President, 202-712-3000, Web site: www.johnkerry.com
WASHINGTON, May 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The John Kerry for President Campaign today released the following fact sheet, regarding John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers:
A Great Teacher for Every Child: John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers
Every American is grateful that we have teachers who despite all the hardship sent their way, do their best to get our kids prepared for life. Whether it's a teacher who takes the time to sit with a child eating all alone in the cafeteria or a teacher who realizes that a child cannot read because the child's family never owned a book-teachers make a difference in America every single day.
Unfortunately, too many in Washington, D.C. and the states act like teachers do not matter. Despite research showing that good teachers are the single biggest contributor to good schools, teachers all too often do not get paid like professionals, do not get the support they need and do not get rewards for success.
John Kerry knows that good teachers are vital to building a stronger America, and that is why his "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers" will recruit or retain 500,000 teachers over the next 4 years. Working together with parents, principals, and communities across America, John Kerry will offer teachers and children a new bargain. The new bargain will offer teachers more- providing better pay and preparation-and will ask for more in return-requiring high standards and rewarding results for our children.
Offering Better Pay, Preparation, and Support...
Recruit Teachers by Raising Pay Where We Need Teachers Most: Kerry's plan will recruit quality teachers for high-need schools and for subject areas like math and science by offering pay hikes of at least $5,000. He will also establish a new teacher corps for recent college graduates.
Retain Teachers Through Better Preparation and Support: Kerry's plan will support mentoring that pairs veteran teachers with new teachers and set up career ladders that increase responsibility for successful teachers. Kerry will also increase accountability for good preparation at colleges of education.
Involve Parents and Teachers Together: Kerry's plan will use technology to connect parents and teachers and support involvement initiatives like parental responsibility contracts and parent- teacher coordinators.
Requiring High Standards and Rewarding Results for Our Children
Require Rigorous Tests for All New Teachers: Certification tests for new teachers are often too simple, and the bar for success is often too low. Kerry will invest in a national initiative to determine the right high standards for tests and require states receiving federal funds to implement tests with these standards.
Ensure Schools Can Replace Teachers Who Perform Poorly: While teachers deserve protection from arbitrary dismissal, no teacher deserves a lock on a job. John Kerry will require states to develop or maintain fast, fair procedures for improving or replacing teachers who do not perform on the job, such as establishment of "inadequate performance" as a ground for dismissal.
Reward Teachers for Excellence in Teaching Our Kids: Kerry believes that teachers should be rewarded for demonstrating more skill or better results. His plan will offer increased pay and responsibility to teachers who excel, using measures that include improvements in student performance.
Support and Reward Schools that Turn Things Around: Rather than just criticizing, schools that aren't working, Kerry will help turn those schools around. He will offer special funds for improvement initiatives like bringing in teams of expert teachers and principals. When schools turn around, Kerry will offer new rewards.
John Kerry's new bargain will invest $30 billion over 10 years in our teachers and children. The new bargain for teachers and children is a part of Kerry's commitment to fully fund No Child Left Behind. It is paid for within his Education Trust Fund, a $200 billion commitment to education that is financed by repealing George Bush's tax cuts for families making more than $200,000.
Kerry's "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers:"
A GREAT TEACHER FOR EVERY CHILD,
A NEW BARGAIN FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND TEACHERS
Every American is grateful that we have teachers who despite all the hardship sent their way do their best to get our kids prepared for life. Whether it's a teacher who takes the time to sit with a child eating all alone in the cafeteria, or a teacher who realizes that a child cannot read because the child's family never owned a book - teachers make a difference in America every single day.
Teachers can't do it alone-they need help from parents, principals, and communities. But research has shown that the good teaching is the single most important contributor to a good school. And teachers can have a major impact on closing the achievement gaps related to race and income that persist in our society.
Today government too often acts as though teachers don't matter at all. We don't pay teachers like professionals, we don't do enough to encourage their excellence, and we don't do enough to ensure that every teacher in the classroom belongs there. It's no wonder that too few of our most talented young people choose to become teachers, and too many of our most talented teachers leave the classroom early. The losers are our children.
In recent years, several bipartisan commissions have studied the teaching profession. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, chaired by Jim Hunt, North Carolina's former Governor, has recently emphasized the recruitment crisis in teaching. In January, the Teaching Commission, chaired by former IBM chairman Louis V. Gerstner, made a series of sweeping recommendations to "attract and retain the best teachers in our public schools."
A NEW BARGAIN FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND TEACHERS
Building on those commissions' recommendations, John Kerry today announces his New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers, offering more to America's teachers and asking more in return. As part of his commitment to fully fund No Child Left Behind, John Kerry's new bargain will recruit or retain 500,000 teachers in the next four years and double federal resources for teacher quality with a new commitment of $30 billion over the next 10 years.
This is what John Kerry will offer:
-- Recruit great teachers by raising pay where we need them the most, as well as scholarships and loan forgiveness through a new teacher corps;
-- Retain teachers through better preparation and support, including holding schools of education accountable for improved results, and offering more mentoring on the job; and
-- Increase parental involvement using new technology and proven successes.
This is what John Kerry will ask:
-- Require all new teachers to pass rigorous entry tests;
-- Require fair, fast procedures for improving or replacing teachers who do not perform;
-- Require greater pay for teachers who excel in participating schools, including excellence that is demonstrated through improved student performance.
-- Provide more support for schools to turn around and more rewards when they do.
WHAT JOHN KERRY WILL OFFER:
BETTER PAY, PREPARATION AND SUPPORT
Recruiting Great Teachers By Raising Pay Where We Need Them Most
5/6/2004 10:03:00 AM
To: National Desk, Political Reporter
Contact: Laura Capps of John Kerry for President, 202-712-3000, Web site: www.johnkerry.com
WASHINGTON, May 6 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The John Kerry for President Campaign today released the following fact sheet, regarding John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers:
A Great Teacher for Every Child: John Kerry's New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers
Every American is grateful that we have teachers who despite all the hardship sent their way, do their best to get our kids prepared for life. Whether it's a teacher who takes the time to sit with a child eating all alone in the cafeteria or a teacher who realizes that a child cannot read because the child's family never owned a book-teachers make a difference in America every single day.
Unfortunately, too many in Washington, D.C. and the states act like teachers do not matter. Despite research showing that good teachers are the single biggest contributor to good schools, teachers all too often do not get paid like professionals, do not get the support they need and do not get rewards for success.
John Kerry knows that good teachers are vital to building a stronger America, and that is why his "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers" will recruit or retain 500,000 teachers over the next 4 years. Working together with parents, principals, and communities across America, John Kerry will offer teachers and children a new bargain. The new bargain will offer teachers more- providing better pay and preparation-and will ask for more in return-requiring high standards and rewarding results for our children.
Offering Better Pay, Preparation, and Support...
Recruit Teachers by Raising Pay Where We Need Teachers Most: Kerry's plan will recruit quality teachers for high-need schools and for subject areas like math and science by offering pay hikes of at least $5,000. He will also establish a new teacher corps for recent college graduates.
Retain Teachers Through Better Preparation and Support: Kerry's plan will support mentoring that pairs veteran teachers with new teachers and set up career ladders that increase responsibility for successful teachers. Kerry will also increase accountability for good preparation at colleges of education.
Involve Parents and Teachers Together: Kerry's plan will use technology to connect parents and teachers and support involvement initiatives like parental responsibility contracts and parent- teacher coordinators.
Requiring High Standards and Rewarding Results for Our Children
Require Rigorous Tests for All New Teachers: Certification tests for new teachers are often too simple, and the bar for success is often too low. Kerry will invest in a national initiative to determine the right high standards for tests and require states receiving federal funds to implement tests with these standards.
Ensure Schools Can Replace Teachers Who Perform Poorly: While teachers deserve protection from arbitrary dismissal, no teacher deserves a lock on a job. John Kerry will require states to develop or maintain fast, fair procedures for improving or replacing teachers who do not perform on the job, such as establishment of "inadequate performance" as a ground for dismissal.
Reward Teachers for Excellence in Teaching Our Kids: Kerry believes that teachers should be rewarded for demonstrating more skill or better results. His plan will offer increased pay and responsibility to teachers who excel, using measures that include improvements in student performance.
Support and Reward Schools that Turn Things Around: Rather than just criticizing, schools that aren't working, Kerry will help turn those schools around. He will offer special funds for improvement initiatives like bringing in teams of expert teachers and principals. When schools turn around, Kerry will offer new rewards.
John Kerry's new bargain will invest $30 billion over 10 years in our teachers and children. The new bargain for teachers and children is a part of Kerry's commitment to fully fund No Child Left Behind. It is paid for within his Education Trust Fund, a $200 billion commitment to education that is financed by repealing George Bush's tax cuts for families making more than $200,000.
Kerry's "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers:"
A GREAT TEACHER FOR EVERY CHILD,
A NEW BARGAIN FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND TEACHERS
Every American is grateful that we have teachers who despite all the hardship sent their way do their best to get our kids prepared for life. Whether it's a teacher who takes the time to sit with a child eating all alone in the cafeteria, or a teacher who realizes that a child cannot read because the child's family never owned a book - teachers make a difference in America every single day.
Teachers can't do it alone-they need help from parents, principals, and communities. But research has shown that the good teaching is the single most important contributor to a good school. And teachers can have a major impact on closing the achievement gaps related to race and income that persist in our society.
Today government too often acts as though teachers don't matter at all. We don't pay teachers like professionals, we don't do enough to encourage their excellence, and we don't do enough to ensure that every teacher in the classroom belongs there. It's no wonder that too few of our most talented young people choose to become teachers, and too many of our most talented teachers leave the classroom early. The losers are our children.
In recent years, several bipartisan commissions have studied the teaching profession. The National Commission on Teaching and America's Future, chaired by Jim Hunt, North Carolina's former Governor, has recently emphasized the recruitment crisis in teaching. In January, the Teaching Commission, chaired by former IBM chairman Louis V. Gerstner, made a series of sweeping recommendations to "attract and retain the best teachers in our public schools."
A NEW BARGAIN FOR AMERICA'S CHILDREN AND TEACHERS
Building on those commissions' recommendations, John Kerry today announces his New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers, offering more to America's teachers and asking more in return. As part of his commitment to fully fund No Child Left Behind, John Kerry's new bargain will recruit or retain 500,000 teachers in the next four years and double federal resources for teacher quality with a new commitment of $30 billion over the next 10 years.
This is what John Kerry will offer:
-- Recruit great teachers by raising pay where we need them the most, as well as scholarships and loan forgiveness through a new teacher corps;
-- Retain teachers through better preparation and support, including holding schools of education accountable for improved results, and offering more mentoring on the job; and
-- Increase parental involvement using new technology and proven successes.
This is what John Kerry will ask:
-- Require all new teachers to pass rigorous entry tests;
-- Require fair, fast procedures for improving or replacing teachers who do not perform;
-- Require greater pay for teachers who excel in participating schools, including excellence that is demonstrated through improved student performance.
-- Provide more support for schools to turn around and more rewards when they do.
WHAT JOHN KERRY WILL OFFER:
BETTER PAY, PREPARATION AND SUPPORT
Recruiting Great Teachers By Raising Pay Where We Need Them Most