Help me flesh out this thought - trigger another Bernie post

[pixy0stix]

Ok, so one of the things that Berners are hopped up on is Free College. Right? Higher education for the masses. A more educated society!

How is this not another stratification of the economic classes? We still have the problem of children coming from poorer/understaffed/under-budgeted areas not being able to meet the criteria of college courses, even if they wanted to. While parents who can afford private or enhanced education of their children will still thrive. Right?

I'm thinking in particular of kids from KS and OK who may not even HAVE public education available to them next year. And if it is available, it's a severely reduced down, bare bones education. 

This plan really just appeals to the middle and upper class who feel like they're drowning in school debt, right? 

I don't even want to post this, because I know it's going to be full of privileged, "but I have xyz amount of school debt and it's haaaaarrrd!!!" Yeah, well, you had the opportunity to go to school, so let's not anecdote it up in here. /salty

[ttt]

Lol at the Bernie trigger warning.

[mrsukyankee]

Realistically, giving money to families for childcare and to increase spending in public services/primary schools would be worth a lot more. Kids who start off better doing better in the long run.  And maybe funding alternatives to university would be fabulous too - like internships starting at 16?

[downtoearth]

I think you can preface this as a pipeline issue and you've already hit it on the head that college-preparedness is secondary to keeping schools funded, fixing the testing issues in many states, and fixing the nationwide infrastructure issues for schools at times. The pipeline to college needs as much or more attention as college costs itself. Kids from educated families, kids from well-fed families, and kids from stable families statistically do better in school and are more likely to complete K-12 education. Many minorities have lower graduation rates (Native American, Black, Hispanic) and those minority children will still not have the opportunities to attend college without added costs like getting a GED later in life (time off work and cost to study/take) and paying out of pocket for testing (ACT/SAT).

Eliminating the cost for college may also saturate the work force with more college-educated job seekers, thus making it even harder to have a living wage for those or even a job available for those who do not have a college degree. Thus, those who by family circumstances as a child or even their own poor choices as a kid are being doubly hurt - they can't find work or work with a living wage without their K-12 education complete, and they can't take advantage of getting a college education as an adult or later in life without added stress and money compared to "traditional" students.

[isabel]

I agree with you completely. I am paying on student loans, as is H. I still feel more strongly about improving access to early childhood education and improving the quality of education for K-12.

Also, really asking, is it legal to not provide some sort of public education? School is such a huge part of our society. It's appalling to me to think of kids not having a school to go to.

[Velvetshady]

I'm gonna use a really, really out-dated, but still relevant, example that illustrates my issue with "Free College". My grandfather grew up poor in rural CO. He did manage to go to public school enough of the time to get offered a basketball scholarship covering full tuition to Georgetown (he would not have gotten in based on grades since he spent ~1/2 the school year working the farm/working construction with his older brothers vs in actually in school). Great, right? Yeah, he 1) couldn't afford to buy the train ticket to get from CO to DC, 2) he couldn't afford room and board in DC year round (because, yeah, he couldn't afford train tickets to get home on breaks) and 3) his family couldn't afford for him to not be working full time and bringing home money. His real options were to farm and find an additional full time job or join the military. Army it was.

Long way to say that apparently the "Yeah Free College" folks don't grasp that the truly disadvantaged can't afford to take the time out of wage earning to go to college, even if the tuition was covered for them.

[isabel]

Mar 25, 2016 15:49:29 GMT -5 @licia said:

It means fuck all if kids aren't learning in pre K-12.

QFT. I've said this a few times, but if kids don't get the education they need in K-12, how the hell are they going to be accepted at universities? If they can't pass entrance exams because the education funding in their public schools was slashed, what good does free college do? You have to learn enough to be admitted to college for the tuition cost to come into play.

[Deleted]

My H and I have had this discussion so many times. It would be so much better to have free pre-school for everyone and making sure all kids have a quality education, especially in elementary school. Free college does not help the kids who can't graduate high school.

Lower interest rate student loans would be a better place to start at the college level.

[racegrrl714]

Mar 25, 2016 15:32:33 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Ok, so one of the things that Berners are hopped up on is Free College. Right? Higher education for the masses. A more educated society!

How is this not another stratification of the economic classes? We still have the problem of children coming from poorer/understaffed/under-budgeted areas not being able to meet the criteria of college courses, even if they wanted to. While parents who can afford private or enhanced education of their children will still thrive. Right?

I'm thinking in particular of kids from KS and OK who may not even HAVE public education available to them next year. And if it is available, it's a severely reduced down, bare bones education. 

This plan really just appeals to the middle and upper class who feel like they're drowning in school debt, right? 

I don't even want to post this, because I know it's going to be full of privileged, "but I have xyz amount of school debt and it's haaaaarrrd!!!" Yeah, well, you had the opportunity to go to school, so let's not anecdote it up in here. /salty

I have to say that this is exactly how I feel about the topic. Debt-free college would be amazing, but if kids are still graduating high school without even being able to read at grade level or do basic algebra, it's a moot point.

[heat40]

my simple comment, before I can fully put into words what has been going on in my head since the calculator thing is this:

A lot of people are going to have to worry about way more before their kid can even get to college. I.e. Daycare, education affordability, or actually good public schools. and well, net take home income after that calculator situation which does affect whatever plans you had for your family.

[eclaires]

We talked about this on our road trip to family today. Free college is worthless if you don't have the education to get into college. Not to mention the other barriers that wouldn't be covered, outside of tuition.

[daydreamer]

It's my understanding that free college is considered by economists across the political spectrum as regressive. Ironically, the copycat free community college proposal of Clinton's is considered more progressive because it targets help and opportunity to people who would otherwise not have access.

There are many articles about how and why, but I don't have time to find a great one. The NPR planet money podcast had an explanation in episode #686.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 25, 2016 16:15:32 GMT -5 daydreamer said:

It's my understanding that free college is considered by economists across the political spectrum as regressive. Ironically, the copycat free community college proposal of Clinton's is considered more progressive because it targets help and opportunity to people who would otherwise not have access.

There are many articles about how and why, but I don't have time to find a great one. The NPR planet money podcast had an explanation in episode #686.

Oh! Thanks! I'll look for those.

[blink]

Just another voice to add to the free college isn't everything. I know as a society we can focus and try to improve multiple things. But it feels short-sighted and doesn't address the real issues. We don't need free college for all. We need more affordable college. We need public schools to make kids prepared for a college education so kids aren't spending time and money on classes/info they should have learned in high school.

This whole thing makes me feel very much like my staunchly conservative dad who believes that the government isn't doing a good job running our public schools, why should they get run college as well? (Well he says that wrt to healthcare, but it works here.)

[downtoearth]

I'd like to add that you go to Bernie's page and the free college education is there, but nothing on ECE or K-13. It was pointed out to me that you can only surmise Bernie's ECE and K-12 platforms from supporters NOT directly from Bernie.

Even on the supporters website feeltheBern.org, it talks first about free college, then ECE, then back to College/University Educators, and College Financial Aid reform, then finally K-12 education, then back to college student loans. So out of all the education info he cad address, 2/3rds is focused on college/university and 1/3 on the pipeline to that.

Here's ECE and it's all from here, feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-education/.

Early Childhood Education

Bernie believes that providing quality, affordable early childhood education is a family value, as it is fundamental for both the strength of our workforce and the future of our children.

We need high-quality, affordable early childhood education.

What has Bernie said about early childhood education?

In testimony at the Vermont State house in Feb. 2014, Bernie said, “There is perhaps no issue more important than how we educate our youth. I am very concerned that, on many levels, we are failing our youth. We must do away with the archaic notion that education begins at 4 or 5 years old. For far too long, our society has undervalued the need for high-quality and widely accessible early-childhood education.”

What policies has Bernie proposed about early childhood education?

Bernie introduced the Foundations for Success Act, which passed Feb. 2011. It called for enhancing early childhood care and education. The purpose of this Act “is to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to States to enable such States to establish a State Early Care and Education System, which will provide all children in the State, ages 6 weeks to kindergarten, with access to a full-time, high quality, developmentally appropriate, early care and education program”.

Here is his K-12 info:

K-12 Education

Bernie believes that America needs to invest in funding for K-12 public schools to ensure that our nation’s population is among the best-educated in the world. Bernie supports expanding educational programs available to children, as well as dramatically reforming No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

No Child Left Behind needs to be seriously reformed.

What is the No Child Left Behind Act?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, requires that schools across the country administer standardized tests. Should students’ scores on these tests fail to meet certain standards, the results can be used to levy penalties against the schools. In addition, the law mandates that all teachers must have both a bachelor’s degree and pass state tests in order to teach.

What’s wrong with that? That all sounds fairly reasonable.

While the NCLB admirably aims to improve the quality of education for our nation’s students, critics argue that the “test and sanction” methods it employs lead to ineffective or counterproductive outcomes.

Specifically, these critics posit that the act fails to account for the systematic causes of low educational attainment such as poverty, geographical location, and racial prejudice. Additionally, underfunded school districts may not have the money to hire enough well-trained teachers and will likely not be able to achieve the same test scores as wealthier school districts who hire the most qualified teachers and maintain the best educational facilities.

The result is that impoverished schools that are already struggling are punished when their students cannot meet the NCLB proficiency standards while their more affluent peers can. This negatively impacts not only the school itself, but the underprivileged children who rely on the school for an education.

It is perhaps for these reasons that the performance levels of students, as evaluated by standardized testing, illustrate that improvement of student performance – both generally and within particular groups – has declined since the bill was enacted. Widespread cheating scandals, discrimination against poor-performing students, and other controversies have also arisen since the act took effect.

Where does Bernie stand on No Child Left Behind?

Bernie strongly opposes the NCLB:

“I voted against No Child Left Behind in 2001, and continue to oppose the bill’s reliance on high-stakes standardized testing to direct draconian interventions. In my view, No Child Left Behind ignores several important factors in a student’s academic performance, specifically the impact of poverty, access to adequate health care, mental health, nutrition, and a wide variety of supports that children in poverty should have access to. By placing so much emphasis on standardized testing, No Child Left Behind ignores many of the skills and qualities that are vitally important in our 21st century economy, like problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, in favor of test preparation that provides no benefit to students after they leave school.”

Instead of NCLB, Bernie has called for a more holistic method of education that gives teachers more flexibility and students more support systems.




So what has Bernie done to reform No Child Left Behind?

In 2013, Bernie worked with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to develop a program “that would allow schools to move away from standardized testing, broaden the curriculum and allow educators to focus on the critical thinking and teamwork skills that are vital in the 21st century economy.” This would discourage a standardized testing environment where teachers “teach to the test,” and encourage an environment with task-based assignments to determine students’ progress.

Bernie supported the recently passed Every Child Achieves Act of 2015

Bernie voted yes on the Every Child Achieves Act, which is a re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This act allows states to create their own accountability systems for student performance, to strengthen low-performing schools, and to require community-based assessments to focus on areas of student need. It also ensures that federal funds are used for early childhood programs.

Common Core

What is the Common Core?

According to the Common Core website, “The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.”

That doesn’t sound so bad. Why are the Common Core standards so controversial?

The Common Core standards have both vocal supporters and critics, leading to much publicity about the standards and their implementation. Critics argue that implementing the Common Core will be a painful transition for teachers and students, that the standards are too vague, and that they will lead to high costs due to the need to update technology and to replace obsolete curricula.

Advocates, on the other hand, argue that the new standards will raise the ranking of U.S. educational system internationally, will allow for more cohesion between states’ educational systems, and will bring more academic rigor to the classroom.

How has Bernie voted on Common Core?

While Bernie has neither outright endorsed nor opposed the Common Core, he voted in early 2015 against an anti-Common Core amendment that would “prohibit the federal government from ‘mandating, incentivizing, or coercing’ states into adopting Common Core or any other standards.” This indicates that Bernie opposes a repeal of the Common Core standards.

A strong educational system is a key component of a prosperous society.

We’ve heard where Bernie stands on NCLB and the Common Core, but what has Bernie said about supporting teachers?

Bernie strongly supports teachers and believes that educators in general should be entitled to pensions and should be paid more:

“Something is very wrong when, last year, the top 25 hedge fund managers earned more than the combined income of 425,000 public school teachers. We have to get our priorities right.”

Additionally, Bernie supports the right of America’s educators to join unions and engage in collective bargaining:

“I am strongly supportive of collective bargaining for private and public sector workers. I am strongly opposed to agency fee and right-to-work laws.”

I will fight to make sure that workers are allowed to join unions when a majority sign valid authorization cards stating that they want a union as their bargaining representative. This is not a radical idea. Card check recognition was the law of the land from 1941-1966.”

What does Bernie think about school funding?

First and foremost, Bernie believes that all children deserve the right to a quality education, not just those who live in wealthy areas:

“I believe guaranteeing resource equity is a core tenet of the federal government’s role in education policy, and if elected, I will work to reduce the resource disparities that currently exist between schools in wealthy and low-income areas.”

This is one of the reasons Bernie opposes NCLB and the Student Success Act, which would, according to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), “[take] away resources from students who need them the most”.

I’ve heard a lot about school vouchers. What are school vouchers, and where does Bernie stand on them?

School voucher programs are generally funded by state governments and offer parents reimbursements for the amount that it would cost to educate their children in public school to be used towards private school tuition. Proponents of the voucher system argue that they offer low-income families quality school choices, while critics argue that vouchers funnel public funds into private and religious institutions.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers — the two largest teachers unions in the U.S. — both strongly oppose vouchers. The AFT labeled them an attempt “to undermine or otherwise diminish the role of public education in our society.” The NEA, meanwhile, “opposes school vouchers because they divert essential resources from public schools to private and religious schools, while offering no real “choice” for the overwhelming majority of students.”

Like the two largest teachers unions in the country, Bernie is “strongly opposed to any voucher system that would re-direct public education dollars to private schools, including through the use of tax credits.”

Speaking of public funding of privately run organizations, where does Bernie stand on charter schools?

Bernie does not oppose charter schools — that is, schools that are privately managed but funded by taxes. Indeed, Bernie voted for the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998. Nonetheless, Bernie believes that these institutions must be “held to the same standards of transparency as public schools” to ensure accountability for these privately managed organizations. It is worth noting that while charter schools are privately managed, they do not charge tuition to students and are considered public schools.

Bernie’s stance on charter schools is similar to that of both the AFT and the NEA, which do not oppose charter schools, but seek to ensure that they are run in ways that benefit the students. The NEA, for example, shares Bernie’s concern that these schools must be run transparently to increase accountability: “As taxpayer-funded schools, charter schools must operate in a manner that is transparent and accountable to the families and communities they serve.”

After-school education programs should be expanded.

What about after-school education programs? Has Bernie proposed anything on that front?

In 2015, Bernie worked on a team with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to successfully add an amendment to the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This amendment re-instated the 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool program, which “supports afterschool, out-of-school programs and expanded learning time in schools.”

In addition to afterschool programs, Bernie strongly believes that parents must have access to affordable child care for their children while they work. Learn more about Bernie’s stance on child care.

[andwhat]

I am committing the sin of not reading all comments, but my first thought is that the people who need it the most are not going to benefit. If you can't get a good education K-12, it is not going to matter if college is free, you still aren't going to be able to get in.

[elleblue]

Mar 25, 2016 15:58:28 GMT -5 @slayerkate said:

My H and I have had this discussion so many times. It would be so much better to have free pre-school for everyone and making sure all kids have a quality education, especially in elementary school. Free college does not help the kids who can't graduate high school.

Lower interest rate student loans would be a better place to start at the college level.

All of this. 

Also, I'm not entirely opposed to free college as a concept, but I don't think we're ready for it for a variety of reasons. First, we need a bigger and better focus on early schooling, and then we need to clean up the rest of public education so kids are actually learning things, and by that I don't mean test material. What good is free college if most of the students need to be in remedial classes to catch up to where they should be upon entering? Can we afford to start paying for free college for everyone if people are going to take six years to get their degrees? Affordable college is a must imho, but free is a big leap that we're honestly not prepared for at all. 

[Deleted]

I also think theBerners who love this idea because they think it benefits them are likely already in college and I doubt this will be retroactive. It will take 1-2 years to implement.
I am sure these same people would bitch and moan about the unfairness if the class of 2025 got free tuition but they still had Loans because they went to school too early.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 25, 2016 16:29:47 GMT -5 @hannymarren said:

I also think theBerners who love this idea because they think it benefits them are likely already in college and I doubt this will be retroactive. It will take 1-2 years to implement.
I am sure these same people would bitch and moan about the unfairness if the class of 2025 got free tuition but they still had Loans because they went to school too early.

Won't it take longer to implement? I can't imagine the administrative set-up for this.

[ESF]

I really, really hate Bernie's free college plan. I have said before that if Bernie got elected, I would actively work to stop a plan like that from getting passed. I think it's so terrible.
In countries where there is free college, there isn't a huge private college industry. So there is public incentive to fund the colleges adequately.

What we see already in the US is that public higher education budgets are prime targets for slashing.

Making public college free for all is only going to choke these universities even more. There might be an immediate influx of cash going to them, but it won't be sustainable.

What will inevitably happen is that the track we are currently on will only be expedited. The best instructors will leave as their salaries and benefits are cut or as they are forced out through the elimination of tenure and replacement by adjuncts. Classes will be overcrowded. Liberal arts courses will come under even more attack as taxpayers decide they don't want to pay for Indigenous Peoples History 101. The schools will cease to be an affordable place for a middle class or lower income person to get a good education without completely mortgaging their lives.

What those attending would receive is not going to be the kind of education that is going to put them anywhere near the same playing field as those in private schools.

Not to mention, the schools will become less economically diverse, which will hamper social mobility.

I also worry that because there's a free option, it may create disincentives for private schools to offer good financial aid packages to those who most need it, as it will be harder to make the case to their donors that it's the moral and right thing to do.


When people talk about Bernie's ability to get things passed, they assume that democrats will unite behind him. Not this democrat. Not this plan. Hell no.

[blink]

Mar 25, 2016 16:31:17 GMT -5 pixy0stix said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:29:47 GMT -5 @hannymarren said:

I also think theBerners who love this idea because they think it benefits them are likely already in college and I doubt this will be retroactive. It will take 1-2 years to implement.
I am sure these same people would bitch and moan about the unfairness if the class of 2025 got free tuition but they still had Loans because they went to school too early.

Won't it take longer to implement? I can't imagine the administrative set-up for this.

Shhhhh. If the magical Bernicorn gets elected president, he just needs to wave his magical wand of socialism and free college will begin sprouting up all over the land.

[wackadoo]

Yes! I just had lunch with my daughter and we were discussing this very thing. What good is free college, when our college graduates have less learning that other first world country's high school graduates? We need to put money back into restoring and expanding basic education through high school. I'm good with free community college, but no one should be graduating from high-school illiterate and putting any significant amount of government $$ into college when pre-k through 12th grade education is in such a state is foolish. Also, the benefit would be universal as I think the idea that not everyone can, should or wants to go to college is not acknowledged much at all.

And I just read elleblue's comment, so; what she said.

[ringstrue]

I think most die hard Berners are assuming all education problems will be fixed, cradle to grave, once Bernie does his magic. I'm sure they are not concerned with semantics.

[FloFTW]

Mar 25, 2016 16:20:27 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I'd like to add that you go to Bernie's page and the free college education is first, then ECE, then back to College/University Educators, and College Financial Aid reform, then finally K-12 education, then back to college student loans. So out of all the education info he cad address, 2/3rds is focused on college/university and 1/3 on the pipeline to that.

Here's ECE and it's all from here, feelthebern.org/bernie-sanders-on-education/.

Early Childhood Education

Bernie believes that providing quality, affordable early childhood education is a family value, as it is fundamental for both the strength of our workforce and the future of our children.

We need high-quality, affordable early childhood education.

What has Bernie said about early childhood education?

In testimony at the Vermont State house in Feb. 2014, Bernie said, “There is perhaps no issue more important than how we educate our youth. I am very concerned that, on many levels, we are failing our youth. We must do away with the archaic notion that education begins at 4 or 5 years old. For far too long, our society has undervalued the need for high-quality and widely accessible early-childhood education.”

What policies has Bernie proposed about early childhood education?

Bernie introduced the Foundations for Success Act, which passed Feb. 2011. It called for enhancing early childhood care and education. The purpose of this Act “is to provide grants, on a competitive basis, to States to enable such States to establish a State Early Care and Education System, which will provide all children in the State, ages 6 weeks to kindergarten, with access to a full-time, high quality, developmentally appropriate, early care and education program”.

Here is his K-12 info:

K-12 Education

Bernie believes that America needs to invest in funding for K-12 public schools to ensure that our nation’s population is among the best-educated in the world. Bernie supports expanding educational programs available to children, as well as dramatically reforming No Child Left Behind (NCLB).

No Child Left Behind needs to be seriously reformed.

What is the No Child Left Behind Act?

The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), which was signed into law by President George W. Bush in 2002, requires that schools across the country administer standardized tests. Should students’ scores on these tests fail to meet certain standards, the results can be used to levy penalties against the schools. In addition, the law mandates that all teachers must have both a bachelor’s degree and pass state tests in order to teach.

What’s wrong with that? That all sounds fairly reasonable.

While the NCLB admirably aims to improve the quality of education for our nation’s students, critics argue that the “test and sanction” methods it employs lead to ineffective or counterproductive outcomes.

Specifically, these critics posit that the act fails to account for the systematic causes of low educational attainment such as poverty, geographical location, and racial prejudice. Additionally, underfunded school districts may not have the money to hire enough well-trained teachers and will likely not be able to achieve the same test scores as wealthier school districts who hire the most qualified teachers and maintain the best educational facilities.

The result is that impoverished schools that are already struggling are punished when their students cannot meet the NCLB proficiency standards while their more affluent peers can. This negatively impacts not only the school itself, but the underprivileged children who rely on the school for an education.

It is perhaps for these reasons that the performance levels of students, as evaluated by standardized testing, illustrate that improvement of student performance – both generally and within particular groups – has declined since the bill was enacted. Widespread cheating scandals, discrimination against poor-performing students, and other controversies have also arisen since the act took effect.

Where does Bernie stand on No Child Left Behind?

Bernie strongly opposes the NCLB:

“I voted against No Child Left Behind in 2001, and continue to oppose the bill’s reliance on high-stakes standardized testing to direct draconian interventions. In my view, No Child Left Behind ignores several important factors in a student’s academic performance, specifically the impact of poverty, access to adequate health care, mental health, nutrition, and a wide variety of supports that children in poverty should have access to. By placing so much emphasis on standardized testing, No Child Left Behind ignores many of the skills and qualities that are vitally important in our 21st century economy, like problem solving, critical thinking, and teamwork, in favor of test preparation that provides no benefit to students after they leave school.”

Instead of NCLB, Bernie has called for a more holistic method of education that gives teachers more flexibility and students more support systems.




So what has Bernie done to reform No Child Left Behind?

In 2013, Bernie worked with the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions to develop a program “that would allow schools to move away from standardized testing, broaden the curriculum and allow educators to focus on the critical thinking and teamwork skills that are vital in the 21st century economy.” This would discourage a standardized testing environment where teachers “teach to the test,” and encourage an environment with task-based assignments to determine students’ progress.

Bernie supported the recently passed Every Child Achieves Act of 2015

Bernie voted yes on the Every Child Achieves Act, which is a re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This act allows states to create their own accountability systems for student performance, to strengthen low-performing schools, and to require community-based assessments to focus on areas of student need. It also ensures that federal funds are used for early childhood programs.

Common Core

What is the Common Core?

According to the Common Core website, “The Common Core is a set of high-quality academic standards in mathematics and English language arts/literacy (ELA). These learning goals outline what a student should know and be able to do at the end of each grade. The standards were created to ensure that all students graduate from high school with the skills and knowledge necessary to succeed in college, career, and life, regardless of where they live.”

That doesn’t sound so bad. Why are the Common Core standards so controversial?

The Common Core standards have both vocal supporters and critics, leading to much publicity about the standards and their implementation. Critics argue that implementing the Common Core will be a painful transition for teachers and students, that the standards are too vague, and that they will lead to high costs due to the need to update technology and to replace obsolete curricula.

Advocates, on the other hand, argue that the new standards will raise the ranking of U.S. educational system internationally, will allow for more cohesion between states’ educational systems, and will bring more academic rigor to the classroom.

How has Bernie voted on Common Core?

While Bernie has neither outright endorsed nor opposed the Common Core, he voted in early 2015 against an anti-Common Core amendment that would “prohibit the federal government from ‘mandating, incentivizing, or coercing’ states into adopting Common Core or any other standards.” This indicates that Bernie opposes a repeal of the Common Core standards.

A strong educational system is a key component of a prosperous society.

We’ve heard where Bernie stands on NCLB and the Common Core, but what has Bernie said about supporting teachers?

Bernie strongly supports teachers and believes that educators in general should be entitled to pensions and should be paid more:

“Something is very wrong when, last year, the top 25 hedge fund managers earned more than the combined income of 425,000 public school teachers. We have to get our priorities right.”

Additionally, Bernie supports the right of America’s educators to join unions and engage in collective bargaining:

“I am strongly supportive of collective bargaining for private and public sector workers. I am strongly opposed to agency fee and right-to-work laws.”

I will fight to make sure that workers are allowed to join unions when a majority sign valid authorization cards stating that they want a union as their bargaining representative. This is not a radical idea. Card check recognition was the law of the land from 1941-1966.”

What does Bernie think about school funding?

First and foremost, Bernie believes that all children deserve the right to a quality education, not just those who live in wealthy areas:

“I believe guaranteeing resource equity is a core tenet of the federal government’s role in education policy, and if elected, I will work to reduce the resource disparities that currently exist between schools in wealthy and low-income areas.”

This is one of the reasons Bernie opposes NCLB and the Student Success Act, which would, according to the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), “[take] away resources from students who need them the most”.

I’ve heard a lot about school vouchers. What are school vouchers, and where does Bernie stand on them?

School voucher programs are generally funded by state governments and offer parents reimbursements for the amount that it would cost to educate their children in public school to be used towards private school tuition. Proponents of the voucher system argue that they offer low-income families quality school choices, while critics argue that vouchers funnel public funds into private and religious institutions.

The National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers — the two largest teachers unions in the U.S. — both strongly oppose vouchers. The AFT labeled them an attempt “to undermine or otherwise diminish the role of public education in our society.” The NEA, meanwhile, “opposes school vouchers because they divert essential resources from public schools to private and religious schools, while offering no real “choice” for the overwhelming majority of students.”

Like the two largest teachers unions in the country, Bernie is “strongly opposed to any voucher system that would re-direct public education dollars to private schools, including through the use of tax credits.”

Speaking of public funding of privately run organizations, where does Bernie stand on charter schools?

Bernie does not oppose charter schools — that is, schools that are privately managed but funded by taxes. Indeed, Bernie voted for the Charter School Expansion Act of 1998. Nonetheless, Bernie believes that these institutions must be “held to the same standards of transparency as public schools” to ensure accountability for these privately managed organizations. It is worth noting that while charter schools are privately managed, they do not charge tuition to students and are considered public schools.

Bernie’s stance on charter schools is similar to that of both the AFT and the NEA, which do not oppose charter schools, but seek to ensure that they are run in ways that benefit the students. The NEA, for example, shares Bernie’s concern that these schools must be run transparently to increase accountability: “As taxpayer-funded schools, charter schools must operate in a manner that is transparent and accountable to the families and communities they serve.”

After-school education programs should be expanded.

What about after-school education programs? Has Bernie proposed anything on that front?

In 2015, Bernie worked on a team with Sen. Elizabeth Warren to successfully add an amendment to the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. This amendment re-instated the 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool program, which “supports afterschool, out-of-school programs and expanded learning time in schools.”

In addition to afterschool programs, Bernie strongly believes that parents must have access to affordable child care for their children while they work. Learn more about Bernie’s stance on child care.

This isn't actually from Bernie, right? This is something his supporters pieces together themselves because Bernie hasn't actually outlined plans much at all?

[downtoearth]

Mar 25, 2016 16:46:14 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:20:27 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

I'd like to add that you go to Bernie's page...br]

This isn't actually from Bernie, right? This is something his supporters pieces together themselves because Bernie hasn't actually outlined plans much at all?

OMG, you're so right! That is NOT Bernie's page but his supporters. There is NOTHING on his page about ECE or K-12 education. What total BS that he has nothing and only his supporters have to piece together his platform. Is that how his grassroots revolution works - any issues that leader ignores get mansplained by the supporters without Bernie having to do the work?!?!

[imojoebunny]

Free college is not really all it is cracked up to be in my mind. As someone mentioned, tuition is only some of the battle. I also think they we push the tradition model of college, at the expense of other, more rational ideas of diversified education. Trade schools, job training, work/study, apprenticeships, ect. Giving free college to the people who benefit from it, and are likely to make the most money seems obtuse and exploitive.

[FloFTW]

Mar 25, 2016 16:56:22 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:46:14 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

This isn't actually from Bernie, right? This is something his supporters pieces together themselves because Bernie hasn't actually outlined plans much at all?

OMG, you're so right! That is NOT Bernie's page but his supporters. There is NOTHING on his page about ECE or K-12 education. What total BS that he has nothing and only his supporters have to piece together his platform. Is that how his grassroots revolution works - any issues that leader ignores get mansplained by the supporters without Bernie having to do the work?!?!

I looked for his pre-k info before the Ohio primary. It's there. Guess where. GUESS.

Women's Issues!

[FloFTW]

Mar 25, 2016 16:59:12 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:56:22 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

OMG, you're so right! That is NOT Bernie's page but his supporters. There is NOTHING on his page about ECE or K-12 education. What total BS that he has nothing and only his supporters have to piece together his platform. Is that how his grassroots revolution works - any issues that leader ignores get mansplained by the supporters without Bernie having to do the work?!?!

I looked for his pre-k info before the Ohio primary. It's there. Guess where. GUESS.

Women's Issues!

Oh and it's a paragraph.

[downtoearth]

Mar 25, 2016 16:59:12 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:56:22 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

OMG, you're so right! That is NOT Bernie's page but his supporters. There is NOTHING on his page about ECE or K-12 education. What total BS that he has nothing and only his supporters have to piece together his platform. Is that how his grassroots revolution works - any issues that leader ignores get mansplained by the supporters without Bernie having to do the work?!?!

I looked for his pre-k info before the Ohio primary. It's there. Guess where. GUESS.

Women's Issues!

And I'm guessing parental leave is also under women's rights, huh? For as much as he talks equality, he still acts like a brand-new boomer sometimes with his gender roles.

[pixy0stix]

Mar 25, 2016 16:59:12 GMT -5 FloFTW said:

Mar 25, 2016 16:56:22 GMT -5 downtoearth said:

OMG, you're so right! That is NOT Bernie's page but his supporters. There is NOTHING on his page about ECE or K-12 education. What total BS that he has nothing and only his supporters have to piece together his platform. Is that how his grassroots revolution works - any issues that leader ignores get mansplained by the supporters without Bernie having to do the work?!?!

I looked for his pre-k info before the Ohio primary. It's there. Guess where. GUESS.

Women's Issues!

You've got to be fucking kidding me.