Shared Responsibility and Accountability for Our Children’s Education

This morning Secretary of Education Arne Duncan appeared on ABC’s Good Morning America, Fox News’ Fox and Friends, CNN’s American Morning and MSNBC’s Morning Joe to talk about the President’s new blueprint for an updated Elementary and Secondary Education Act to overhaul No Child Left Behind.  From his appearance on Good Morning America:

We have to educate our way to a better economy. We should be leading the world in college graduates, not lagging many other countries, and the way we get there is through unprecedented investment. The president is putting tremendous resources behind this and we have to lead the country in a race to the top. If we can graduate every child from High School, college and career ready and prepared to fulfill their dreams they’re going to have a great chance at education, and that’s what we’re prepared to do.

Secretary Duncan discussed the importance of expanding the curriculum under the new program and offering every student the opportunity for an education in a system that holds teachers, principals, schools and states accountable.

Every child needs a well rounded education.  Yes reading and math are hugely important but so is social studies so is science so are the arts  so is PE so is recess, all those things that keep children healthy and happy and developing their skills and passions. That’s what we have to get back to and that’s what we’re committed to doing. We’re putting as much as a billion dollars out around the country to make sure students have access to a well rounded education

For the first time with this law there’ll be shared responsibility not just with teachers, principals schools systems and even states everyone is  gonna be accountable for driving better results. We’re also making an unprecedented investment, 3.9 billion dollars, to help teachers be more successful. More time for collaboration better professional development, better mentoring, we have to partner and support the extraordinary work and the very every difficult work that teachers are doing around the country and were gonna be a better partner than the federal government has ever been.

In case you missed it, the President discussed this overhaul in his Weekly Address --  and don’t forget today’s
deadline for the President’s Race to the Top Commencement Challenge – apply here.