I support the following propositions:
- Learning should be based on a child’s curiosity rather than on his or her fears
- Schools should be enjoyable enough so that kids want to attend.
- Learning should become a life-long activity.
- The ongoing trend of increased testing of students must be reversed. The “No Child Left Behind” and “Race to the Top” programs have burdened teachers and students with “make-work,” which demoralizes them and often encourages them to “game the system.”
- We should make every effort to bring our most qualified, enthusiastic, and resourceful teachers into the classroom regardless of whether they hold state certification.
- We should encourage schools to innovate and “think outside the box.” Vouchers for non-sectarian non-profit schools should be given serious consideration as a means of diversifying educational choice.
- We must place much more emphasis on early childhood education. This focus will happen only when we provide adequate pay for teachers and other staff personnel who work with preschoolers.
- We must provide opportunities for students to get out into the community to learn about the adult world, something that should not be remote and distant to them.
- In a technology-based world, students should focus on how to access information rather than on memorizing information.
- A key component of curriculum should be to help students develop necessary skills to analyze and try to solve problems.
