Quick Thoughts on John McCain's Education Plan

....which can be found right here.

The Education System Must Provide For Equality Of Choice. Too many of our children are trapped by geography and by economics in failing schools.

Trapped by geography is a funny phrase to use in relation to school choice. If the point is that the neighborhood school is failing then the remedy is a transfer to another school in the district, which doesn't really feel like "trapped." Trapped would be the small-town student with no other school available, which leads into some other parts of his plan (I've combined them into one paragraph for efficiency's sake):

John McCain Supports Expanding Virtual Learning By Reforming The "Enhancing Education Through Technology Program." John McCain will target $500 million in current federal funds to build new virtual schools and support the development of online course offerings for students. John McCain Will Allocate $250 Million Through A Competitive Grant Program To Support States That Commit To Expanding Online Education Opportunities.John McCain Will Offer $250 Million For Digital Passport Scholarships To Help Students Pay For Online Tutors Or Enroll In Virtual Schools.

That's a billion dollars of federal money to expand on-line learning options. For the rural schools that would potentially open up a ton of opportunities for the kids, which is always good; my qualm is that I don't always think distance learning is as rigorous as it should be.

The last bit that jumped out at me:

Provide Funding For Needed Professional Teacher Development. Where federal funds are involved, teacher development money should be used to enhance the ability of teachers to perform in today's technology driven environment. We need to provide teachers with high quality professional development opportunities with a primary focus on instructional strategies that address the academic needs of their students. The first 35 percent of Title II funding would be directed to the school level so principals and teachers could focus these resources on the specific needs of their schools.

I give this a resounding "meh."

Consider two cousins that get married and have a kid. That baby may be a wonderful child of God, or it might be something right out of Deliverance. Professional development is much the same way, and the thought of redirecting any money out of Title towards ProDev rather grates at me.

The folks at Ed in '08 have to be gratified to see education finally getting some play.