Topic of Week: Education

Oh Boy. Education is a toughie.

My proposals (quick Review here)

* Create A Living Wage
* Create a National Single payer Healthcare
* Create a National 3-4 year draft (or alternate service)
* Create a Federally paid Day Care starting at six months
* Implement Tax Reform on the ULTRA Rich
* Lobbying (Political Reform)
* Education
* Infrastructure (road /bridge/Systems repairs)
* Lack of Training/futures
* Truth and Reconciliation Commission
* A new "Manhattan" project, focusing on Energy INDEPENDENCE

Education:
Believe it or not, education is covered in many different areas:

Federally paid Day Care starting at six months
Living Wage
National Single payer Healthcare
National 3-4 year draft (or alternate service)

These all cover education:

Let's see HOW...

We've discovered (based on lots of literature, and studies) that
Headstart type programs work very well. Terry Gross spoke to Geoffrey Canada (listenhere:36 mins)

Essentially, Mr. Canada has everything I have.
A cradle to grave (essentially) view that
To HELP EDUCATE our children, we need TONS of Wrap around services.

Such as medical healthcare, family assistance and training, and everything needed, to ensure that the children will get ahead.

The Harlem Children's Zone, writes New York Times reporter Paul Tough, is "the first and so far the only organization in the country that pulls together ... integrated social and educational services for thousands of children" — all under one umbrella, all in one place, all at one time.

What I say is similar:

The concept of federally paid day care starting at six months include:

• Allow parents (and especially single parents) the ability to return to work to earn an honest income.
• Help improve the bonding between babies and parents. Help ensure the next generation gets the proper love, attention and care they deserve. (Lack of this could lead to a condition called Reactive Attachment Disorder- See( DSM-IV reference here)
• Help ensure that the infant gets the attention, and basic needs met, so that learning will be enhanced, and reinforced.
• Parental involvement by both parents is essential for health family development.
• Making this a new Federal program will ensure that everyone, especially those who need it most (the poor) will be able to take advantage of it. Since it is mandatory, and paid by the government (via the employer), the poor will be able to take this time off, that is urgent for future child development.
• By making this for both fathers and mothers, the Government will be making a huge statement on how important it is for Fathers to take more of a part in the child's life.

What I see as "wrap-around services" includes work to integrate and include the family in the learning experience to help the child. Such services as offered by the Harlem Children's Zone as "the baby college", as well as their "The Three-Year-Old Journey", which works with parents of children who have won the HCZ Promise Academy charter school lottery. Held on Saturdays over several months, it teaches parents about their child's development, building language skills and parenting skills are KEY to making the dream come true for all of our citizens.

By the way, The HCZ doesnt stop at High School, it continues past college. Just like education is a never ending experience.

Other educational initiatives I propose include:

Mandatory Draft (either military or alternative service)
alternative service as job training career readiness program...

Education (and I include 'no child left behind') has failed us, and given us a generation of workers who are (for lack of a better term to describe it) slackers.

There still exists a huge gap between the 'haves' and the 'have-nots'.

Using the alternative service option of a 3-4 year draft as a (mandatory) (paid) job training program is a HUGE educational benefit.

Rather then having a great deal of 'have-nots' working for minimum wage at McBurgerHut,
these workers can be trained and given new careers doing meaningful work in REBUILDING America.

Some Key tenets of the alternative service are:

• Inside United States Only
• Communities of interest (say 60 kids from one neighborhood) will become a training unit.
• Group training will create career paths for those who want to continue in service corp, similar to Military career paths.
• Specialized training in the student's specific field of study.
• Building a cadre of capable trained response agents for future crises.
• Ensuring recruits have proper skills to earn a living wage to support their family.

So Education comes in many forms, and also includes all age groups, and income levels.

References:
Proposal: Mandatory Draft (alternative Service)
Proposal: Day Care starting at six months