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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’hand’assolir.
Lamentablement a Catalunya no tenim els polítics que puguin fer el mateix. Idemdel 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 inspelling out a vision of education that will almost certainly alienate union backers.Educators oppose charter schools because they divert tax dollars away from traditional publicschools. 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 teachingwith 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 RepublicanParty have opposed new investments in early education, despite compelling evidence of itsimportance."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 otherpressing 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," Obamasaid. "
The relative decline of American education is untenable for our economy,unsustainable for our democracy, and unacceptable for our children 
. We cannot affordto 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, whichintroduced 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 theyneed 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 statesfor, among other things, boosting the quality of standards and state tests, and thepresident said the Education Department would create a fund to invest in innovation.
 
•
Improved pre-kindergarten programs, including $5 billion in the stimulus plan to growHead Start, expand child care access and do more for children with special needs. Healso said he would offer 55,000 first-time parents regular visits from trained nurses andsaid that states that develop cutting-edge plans to raise the quality of early learningprograms would get an Early Learning Challenge Grant, if Congress approves the newprogram.
•
Reducing student dropout rates. To students, Obama said: "Don't even think aboutdropping out of school." But he said that reducing the dropout rates also requiresturning around the worst schools, something he asked lawmakers, parents andteachers to make "our collective responsibility as Americans."
•
Repeating his call for everyone to commit to at least one year or more of highereducation or career training, with the goal of highest proportion of college graduates inthe world by the year 2020.On charter schools, he said the caps instituted by somestates on how many are allowed aren't "good for ourchildren, our economy, or our country."Obama also spoke at length about what he describedhis policy toward teachers, what he called an`unprecedented commitment to ensure that anyoneentrusted with educating our children is doing the jobas well as it can be done." In up to 150 more schooldistricts, Obama said, teachers will get mentoring,more money for improved student achievement andnew responsibilities.Also, Obama said, "We need to make sure ourstudents have the teacher they need to be successful.That means states and school districts taking steps tomove bad teachers out of the classroom. Let me beclear: if a teacher is given a chance but still does notimprove, there is no excuse for that person to continueteaching."The president acknowledged that a rethinking of thetraditional American school day may not be welcome — "not in my family, and probably not in yours" — butis critical."The challenges of a new century demand more time in the classroom," Obama said. "If theycan 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 alreadyscheduled and ongoing round-table discussion between Education Secretary Arne Duncanand the Council of Chief State School Officers, which involves the heads of education fromevery state and U.S. territory
President Barack Obama speaks,accompanied by Education Secretary ArneDuncan, right, speaks during anunscheduled visit to a meeting of theCouncil of Chief State School officers,Tuesday, March 10, 2009, in Washington.
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