President Obama Sends Strong Education Reform Message

On Tuesday President Obama sent a strong message to the country on education reform. In a speech to the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce President Obama outlined his policies for reforming education including charter school expansion and merit pay structures for teachers. Below are highlights of his speech.

One of the places where much of that innovation occurs is in our most effective charter schools. And these are public schools founded by parents, teachers, and civic or community organizations with broad leeway to innovate…

But right now, there are many caps on how many charter schools are allowed in some states, no matter how well they’re preparing our students. That isn’t good for our children, our economy, or our country.

I call on states to reform their charter rules, and lift caps on the number of allowable charter schools, wherever such caps are in place.

That’s why we’re creating new pathways to teaching and new incentives to bring teachers to schools where they’re needed most. That’s why we support offering extra pay to Americans who teach math and science to end a teacher shortage in those subjects.