Obama takes on education

At a speech given before the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce yesterday, President Obama proposed what he termed his "five pillars of reform."

They are:

Investing in early childhood initiatives like Head Start;

Encouraging better standards and assessments by focusing on testing itineraries that better fit our kids and the world they live in;

Recruiting, preparing, and rewarding outstanding teachers by giving incentives for a new generation of teachers and for new levels of excellence from all of our teachers;

Promoting innovation and excellence in America’s schools by supporting charter schools, reforming the school calendar and the structure of the school day;

Providing every American with a quality higher education--whether it's college or technical training.

During his speech, President Obama pointed out that: "By 2016, four out of every ten new jobs will require at least some advanced education or training."

Whether you agree with his proposed reforms or not, I think President Obama should be commended for his commitment to improving the quality of education available to our children. And if you don't agree with his proposed reforms, or think government should be doing more (or less), I would encourage you to speak up and speak out. Democracy is not a spectator sport. Our collective future depends on individual involvement.

To read the full transcript of the speech, go here.

To view a video of the speech, go here.