AFT executive council shoots themselves in the foot... endorses Clinton w/o asking the membership

[Agschmid]

89. I can't even believe I have to post this...

Her record and positions are pretty liberal...

Q: Has the debate so far in this campaign paid enough attention to education?

A: I don’t think it has. In the debates that we’ve had, education is an afterthought. But when I go out and campaign all over the country, it’s really on the minds of people. And I’ve outlined a very vigorous education agenda starting with universal prekindergarten, changing No Child Left Behind, making college affordable, finding programs for training and apprenticeship for kids who don’t go to college.

Q: Why has education not come along as fast as other societal changes?

A: I think it’s a combination of a lot of factors. Everybody is an expert on education because we all went to school. And therefore, local control means that there are millions upon millions of opinions in America about what we should do. I don’t think we have reached a consensus that reflects the reality today. Our public school system worked so well for America for so long. We’ve got to make sure it works as well for our future.
Source: Huffington Post Mash-Up: 2007 Democratic on-line debate , Sep 13, 2007

Universal pre-kindergarten; and make family the best school
[We should be] particularly focusing on kids who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, I think you have to start with preschool, even before pre-kindergarten. I’ve advocated universal pre-kindergarten. I think you have to start even earlier to try to help the family be the best school and teaching opportunity for their own children.
Source: 2007 Democratic primary debate on “This Week” , Aug 19, 2007

Establish right to education from pre-school thru college
Let’s recommit ourselves to the idea that every young person in America has the right to a high-quality education, from pre-school all the way through college. I have proposed universal pre-kindergarten for every 4-year-old. If we provide that, the evidence is overwhelming, children will stay in school longer, they will do better, and they’ll stay out of trouble. Because you know what? There are states in our country who actually plan how many prison beds they will need by looking at third grade reading scores. They look at the failure rates and they extrapolate how many prison spots they’re going to need in 10 to 15 years. Well, I think it is time that we had a real debate about that. And I, for one, would much rather pay for pre-kindergarten than for more prison beds. Let’s keep kids on the right track and out of the prison system.
Source: Take Back America 2007 Conference , Jun 20, 2007

Teachers need more peer consulting & more recognition
1 out of 3 new teachers leaves the first year, and in some urban areas it’s 1 out of 2. We’ve got to make sure that our newly minted teachers teach in fields that they are prepared in; and that we not give the toughest assignments to such young teachers. We also have to provide quality, ongoing professional development. And teachers need the time to prepare their courses, consult with their peers about the strategies that work, and be recognized & rewarded for your knowledge and your skills.
Source: Remarks to NEA in Orlando, Florida , Jul 5, 1999

And she was also endorsed by educators unions in 2007...

NEA-NH Endorses Senator Hillary Clinton

MANCHESTER, NH – At an event in Manchester this afternoon, the New Hampshire affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA-NH) officially announced its endorsement of Senator Hillary Clinton for President. With 16,000 members, NEA-NH is the largest union in the Granite State.

“I honored to have earned the support of this incredible organization,” said Senator Clinton. “Together we will work to strengthen America’s public education system, ensure that every child has the opportunity live up to his or her potential, and provide our educators with the resources they need.”

As an advocate, First Lady, and United States Senator, Hillary has fought to raise the education standards in our nation’s schools. Hillary is committed to both fully funding and reforming No Child Left Behind (NCLB). She is also working actively to secure additional funding for early childhood education programs, such as Head Start, that help prepare children to succeed in school.

“We are extremely proud to announce our support of Senator Clinton for president today,” said Rhonda Wesolowski, NEA-NH President. “Senator Clinton has been working to improve education for 35 years. She has laid out a plan to establish universal pre-kindergarten, and is committed to reforming and fully funding the No Child Left Behind Act. We believe that Senator Clinton will be a president who advocates on behalf of our nation’s educators and works to improve our public education system.”

As an advocate, First Lady, and United States Senator, Hillary has fought to raise the education standards in our nation’s schools. Hillary is committed to:

Closing the Early Achievement Gap by:

Investing in innovative nurse home visitation programs to help first-time mothers prepare for, and care for, their newborn children.
Expanding access to high quality child care by increasing funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant to keep pace with rising costs.
Expanding Early Head Start, which Hillary helped to create when she was First Lady.
Providing $10 billion in funding to states to establish high-quality pre-K programs. States would provide pre-K at no cost to children from low-income children and/or limited English homes, and could use the funds on a range of early childhood programs once they had reached that benchmark. Programs will be administered through existing community-based preschools to ensure that parents have a range of options.

Cutting the drop out rate among African American and Hispanic students in half over the next decade through:

Expanding mentoring and support programs to help one million at-risk youth aspire for college and job success.
Launching a $100 million Public/Private Internship Initiative to give at-risk middle- and high-school students job skills and work experience during the summer.
Investing in innovative initiatives like early college high schools and multiple pathway programs.
Doubling federal support for GEAR UP, an early intervention and college preparation program for at risk students.
Providing financial incentives to recruit and retain outstanding teachers in high-need areas.

Making college accessible and affordable for all Americans by:

Lowering the cost of college through a $3,500 tuition tax credit, enough to cover more than 50% of the cost of tuition at the average public institution for many families.
Increasing the Pell Grant.
Providing $500 million to strengthen community colleges.
Providing $250 million to improve college graduation rates.
Providing a $10,000 scholarship for people who complete a full years of public service.
Simplifying the federal student aid process.
Providing clear information about the real cost of college well in advance to help families plan.

This agenda builds on Hillary’s long record of support for education. In Arkansas, Hillary chaired the Arkansas Educational Standards Commission, which improved schools; as First Lady of the U.S., she helped grow the federal afterschool initiative from a $1 million pilot program to $1 billion program, reaching children in every state. As Senator, she created programs to recruit and retain teachers and principals to underserved areas; enacted legislation to eliminate environmental toxins in schools; helped write legislation to reauthorize the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act; championed successful efforts to expand the number of math and science teachers and provide math and science educators with innovative teaching tools; and enacted legislation to create income-contingent repayment programs for student loans and to reduce student debt for teachers, child care workers, and other service professionals.

The New Hampshire for Hillary campaign has announced the names of over 500 educators from across the state who are supporting Senator Clinton. In addition, Dr. Lyonel Tracy, New Hampshire Commissioner of Education, recently announced his endorsement of Hillary for president.