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Loading...Romney’s Education Plan Recycles Failed Ideas
Written by Mike Hall
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney yesterday outlined his proposals for education and, like his economic platform, Romney’s proposal centers on failed policies of the past while attacking teachers. He even says class size doesn’t matter.
While at a labor-management conference of more than 400 teachers, administrators and other educators working together on school reforms, AFT President Randi Weingarten said Romney had “squandered an opportunity to participate in a meaningful discussion of real education reform by attempting to disguise attacks on teachers and public education as meaningful policy proposals.”
Instead of looking to improve education for all children, he parroted failed voucher and privatization schemes that have not improved student learning. Romney’s proposal to take even more money out of public education and funnel it to private schools is absurd, at a time when school budgets already are being slashed to the bone across the country.
She pointed to the labor management collaboration as the approach that can achieve meaningful education improvement that focuses on students, “but Romney wants to divide the people who work most closely with kids every day from students, parents and the community.
What Romney fails to understand is that when teachers and public schools have the resources they need, students win. Romney is presenting America with a false choice: If you support teachers, then you must be against kids.
Click here for her full statement.
Earlier today, Romney presented his education plan to some real live teachers who, according to CNN, didn’t buy his size doesn’t matter theory. At a Philadelphia charter school, he stubbornly clung to his assertion that studies show smaller class size doesn’t equate with better student achievement. The teachers knew better.
Romney was pressed on his stance by a music teacher at the charter school who questioned the research Romney cited.
“I can’t think of any teacher in the whole time I’ve been teaching, for 10 years, 13 years, who would say that more students would benefit them,” the man said. “And I can’t think of a parent who would say, ‘I would like my student to be in a classroom with a lot of kids with only one teacher.’ So I’m kind of wondering where this research comes from.”
Romney cited one study done by a management consulting group. But CNN’s Kevin Liptak writes that the majority of research does point to improved learning from smaller classes, according to Education Week.
One large study in Tennessee, which was conducted over a nearly 30-year period, showed students who were placed in a smaller-sized classroom made measurable gains and performed better even when they were put back in larger classes.
Other studies show that smaller classes lead to higher achievement for minority students and students living below the poverty line.
This isn’t the first time Romney has dismissed smaller class sizes as important education tools. He voted class size legislation as governor of Massachusetts.
This post was originally published by the AFL-CIO.
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Read more: afl-cio, education, mitt romney, teachers, unions
Photo from Angelina Cupcake via flickr
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Once again MItt the Twit is caught talking through his hat -- his silk hat. (Or is it his silk underwear?)
The ONLY things Romney (yuck) cares about is corprations and greed.
Well as racism looms as the underlying issue with this Presidental race it really leaves me stammering and unable to speak that this country would think of allowing the likes of Mitt Romney to that the said office.But like I said I believe that the main reason is Obamas skin color.Shameful in this day the fear of black folk still exists.The backward thinkers have most of the keys to the state and federal so we are in deep trouble if this takes place.My wife and I and our handicapped son will more than likely be looking for another place to live.They are already taking more services SO the rich can have more.So what can we do.Stay untill he has nothing.But truth be told if they vote him in they will get a good taste of what they really don't want.While the estates get larger ,the jobs will pay less and less if there are any.Oh yes the education sysyem will be bare bones.So much for the advancement of the US or us.So vote your little hearts out folks.Pay back will be a bitch.HAVE FUN.
EVERYTHING about the Rethuglican Party is a pooch-screw of failed ideas, not just their attitude towards education! If by some nightmare they get elected to take over not just the House, but also the Presidency and the Senate, then this country is DOOMED, especially for the freethinkers, the non-Christians, the women, the working-class and poor, and LGBTs.
Emigration is not something I would normally think about, but if this country turns into a real-life version of "The Handmaid's Tale," I would be forced to flee for the sake of not just my life, but our two daughters as well!
If Romney wins in November, I am moving out of the United States (for real). Not because he would utterly destroy what remains of the United States of America (after Reagan and W. Bush thrashed it within an inch of its life—which Romney WOULD do) but because of the absolute, undeniable, horrific, irredeemable stupidity of the American people—and I just couldn’t live in a country that was THAT full of stupid people. (Though, we had 8 rock solid years of Reagan’s dysfunction and corporate de-regulation and 8 rock solid years of Bush’s lies, illegal war(s) and even further corporate/environmental de-regulation which Crashed the country—so I’m packing my bags).
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“You can not educate minorities, they are too set in their stupid ways. Send them all to prison where they belong.”
Spoken like a true FAUX WHORES low information viewer.
Michael F.
“.BUT....Bush got elected and then reelected...what does that say about voter sanity?”
Bush was not reelected either. Thanks to Diebold.... Iowa
Romney is NOT concerned with education quality. He is promoting privatization, turning education into a private corporate business so that corporate concerns have more control over what is taught, and they can earn money from it. Republicans are promoting the illusion that big government is the cause of all of our problems, when it is government that keeps the insatiable greed of Big Business from imprisoning all of us under a corporate dictatorial need to keep us in subjugation.
This "man " knows nothing about education, classes need a small ammount of students in each class, up to a certain ammount so each child gets time with the teacher, as needed, to learn. Mitt Romney does not care about our kids, their education, their needs for a healthy lunch. or anything really important to children, his idea of education is NO education. everyone who has CHILDREN, if you care ANYTHING FOR your babies for their little sakes DO NOT VOTE FOR THIS MONSTER!!!!!!!. DO NOT VOTE FOR ANY REPUBLICIAN/TEAPARTY. Just a warning, GOP is out to destroy our country, how better to do it than ruin education. Diana.
Mitt Romney will put the US in the dirt !! OBAMA 2012 save the USA and stop the TARDS !
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