4: Workforce
Increase the productivity and educational attainment of the American workforce.
Stakeholder(s):
- American Workforce
- Republicans: Summary: Republicans must accept that we need further investments in education and there must be a federal role in raising
performance among students and schools. -- Republicans must accept that the path to a successful workforce runs through public
schools. They must accept that public schools are attended by seven of eight children and that private schools will always
represent a minority of students. They must accept further investments in education. There is a federal role in increasing
standards of achievement in public education and that increasing educational attainment is a national priority. The federal
government has an interest in making college education available and affordable to middle class families and to help make
continuing education a viable and productive option for those who have already entered the workforce. Republicans should support
increased federal aid to middle-income public schools; better coordination of high school curriculum with college and technical
school requirements; a federal role in evaluating objective measures of success or failure of public schools, as well as colleges
and universities; preservation and expansion of existing college tax credits; and additional resources for individuals in
the workforce who seek to further their career through education.
- Democrats: Summary: Democrats must accept that education funding comes with a commitment to reform that puts student performance above
all else. -- Democrats must accept that education funding comes with a commitment to reform that puts student performance
above all else. They must accept that it is virtually impossible to reform and improve education without restructuring the
way teachers are hired, promoted, and dismissed. No business could improve under such a structure; schools are no exception.
A high school degree should no longer be considered a benchmark of success for a school system, rather completing a twoor
four-year degree must become the new standard. Schools should be measured on the number of students who earn post-secondary
degrees, not on diplomas. Curriculum must be reformed to not only raise test scores, but to also prepare students to succeed
in a modern work environment. Far more must be expected of parents to prepare children for school and to make the home a learning
environment. Democrats should support school reforms to increase competition and performance within public schools; merit-based
performance measures to attract, retain, promote, and dismiss teachers; charter models and incentives for public schools;
a restructuring of teacher contracts to lower the cost of non-wage benefits; and measures to promote parental responsibility.
Objective(s):
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