“The quality of our teachers is the most important factor in determining the quality of our children’s education.”

America’s future is determined in large part by how we educate our children.  Our public schools are doing a good job in many areas given financial and institutional constraints.  But improvements are needed if we are to prepare our children to be tomorrow’s leaders in an ever-changing world, and to deliver on the promise of a quality education for all.

Quality Teachers.  Nothing is more important to a quality education than knowledgeable, competent, and effective teachers.  Quality teachers are needed across the board, but especially in math and science and especially in underachieving schools.  We need to do a number of things to keep and attract quality teachers: 1) elevate the status of teachers through increased base pay and public recognition, 2) provide salary and/or bonus incentives to qualified math and science teachers and to those who teach in underachieving schools, 3) provide salary and/or bonus incentives based on teacher performance, 4) provide ongoing training to improve all teachers’ skills and abilities, and 5) make it easier to dismiss incompetent teachers.

Smaller Schools or Schools Within Schools.  Our schools have been getting larger and larger, presumably to achieve economies of scale.  While most students get by in larger schools, “getting by” is not good enough.  In addition, some students simply fall through the cracks.  Studies show that when teachers and the administration form relationships with their students and provide them with more individualized attention and instruction, performance improves.  Although reducing the size of school facilities should be a long-range goal, one concept which provides a more immediate response and still allows larger concentrations of facilities and resources is the “school-within-a-school” concept.

Head Start and After School Programs.  The value of pre-K programs cannot be overstated. Also, we need to provide after school programs for children at risk.

Increase Parental Involvement.  The more involved the parents are in their children's education, the better education their children receive.