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President
Obama
has it
right:
America
needs
education
Op-Ed by
Tom
Watkins
 ANN
ARBOR -
Regardless
of one's
politics,
it is
always
good to
have a
smart
POTUS
(President
of the
United
States)
visiting
your
state.
Sure
there
are the
inevitable
traffic
jams,
police
overtime
costs
and
logistical
headaches.
But
there is
nothing
better
than
commanding
our
president’s
attention,
as well
as that
of the
nation
and the
world,
on your
hometown.
To have
his
focus on
education
is icing
on the
cake.
Education
and
talent
will
rule as
the 21st
century
unfolds.
It
should
be our
goal to
make
Michigan
and
America
the
brain
bank of
the
world,
where
everyone
comes
for
deposits
and
withdrawals.
The
city,
state,
and
nation
that
gets
right
its
system
of
learning
to
prepare
its
citizens
to be
competitive
on the
world
stage
will
soar
while
others
sour.
Speaking
at the
University
of
Michigan
Friday,
President
Obama
forcefully
reinforced
his
message
about
college
affordability
saying,
"When
kids do
graduate,
the most
daunting
challenge
can be
the cost
of
college.
At a
time
when
Americans
owe more
in
tuition
than
credit
card
debt,
this
Congress
needs to
stop the
interest
rates on
student
loans
from
doubling
in July.
Extend
the
college
tuition
tax
credit
we
started,
that
saves
middle-class
families
thousands
of
dollars.
And,
give
more
young
people
the
chance
to earn
their
way
through
college
by
doubling
the
number
of
work-study
jobs in
the next
five
years."
Amen to
that.
At the
other
end of
the
spectrum,
the
president
also
spotlighted
our
nations
high
school
dropout
rate --
a
national
disgrace.
Michigan
is well
ahead of
the
curve
when it
comes to
addressing
the high
school
dropout
crisis,
which
when
analyzed
on a
national
level,
might
well be
considered
a public
health
care
epidemic.
In his
State of
the
Union
address,
President
Obama
told the
nation,
“We also
know
that
when
students
don’t
walk
away
from
their
education,
more of
them
walk the
stage to
get
their
diploma.
So,
tonight,
I am
proposing
that
every
state
requires
that all
students
stay in
high
school
until
they
graduate
or turn
18.”
To have
a law on
the
books
that
allows a
child to
leave
school
at the
tender
age of
16,
without
an
education
is state
sponsored
stupidity.
As the
incoming
state
superintendent
in 2001,
I called
for this
change
in
Michigan
and the
law was
later
changed.
Quality
Teachers
Matter
A recent
study by
Citizens
Research
Council
(crcmich.org)
highlights
the
importance
of
teachers
and how
Michigan
could do
a
better,
more
efficient
job of
preparing
its
classroom
leaders.
We need
to
engage
classroom
teachers
and
listen
to their
voice as
we
embrace
and lead
school
change.
The
president
also
said,
“At a
time
when
other
countries
are
doubling
down on
education,
tight
budgets
have
forced
states
to
layoff
thousands
of
teachers.
We know
a good
teacher
can
increase
the
lifetime
income
of a
classroom
by over
$250,000.
A great
teacher
can
offer an
escape
from
poverty
to a
child
who
dreams
beyond
his
circumstances.
Instead
of
bashing
them or
defending
the
status
quo,
let’s
offer
schools
a deal.
Give
them the
resources
to keep
good
teachers
on the
job, and
reward
the best
ones. In
return,
grant
schools
flexibility
to:
Teach
with
creativity
and
passion,
stop
teaching
to the
test,
and
replace
teachers
who just
aren’t
helping
kids
learn.”
Well
said,
Mr.
President.
The
White
House’s
just-released
“A
Blueprint
for an
America
Built to
Last”
provides
greater
depth to
the
ideas of
building
an
educational
system
and
economy
that
works
for
everyone.
(See
www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/01/24/blueprint-america-built-last)
Our
country’s
future
will
only be
brighter
if we
heed
these
ideas
now --
we owe
it to
our
collective
futures
to
invest
in the
human
potential
of all
Americans.
Tom
Watkins
served
as
Michigan's
state
superintendent
of
schools,
2001-05.
He can
be
reached
at
tdwatkins88@gmail.com.
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