Every child should have a quality teacher vs. Bush lip service to the idea of schools getting better without a plan to support teachers or adequate funding for NCLB - so today we have "New Bargain for America's Children and Teachers" so as to recruit/retain 500,000 teachers over the next four years via more pay to teachers and more prep time/courses, and more required contact with parents. --at least $5,000 in pay raises for teachers in high-need schools and subject-shortage areas --a new Teacher Corps--mentoring programs--testing for all new teachers --allowing schools to replace poor performing teachers--a "Great Expectations Fund" to reward teachers who improve students' achievement--a "Great Strides Fund" to give money to states to help schools - GEE sounds like a PLAN!
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/0506dlc-advance06.htmlKerry to address 'New Dems' in Phoenix
Billy House and Jon Kamman
The Arizona Republic
May. 6, 2004 12:00 AM
Sen. John Kerry arrives in Phoenix today aiming to please the Democrats' more-conservative wing.
The presidential candidate is scheduled to fly into Phoenix late this afternoon and give the keynote address Friday morning at the annual conference of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist or right-of-center group.
<snip>Charlie Cook, editor and publisher of The Cook Political Report, said, "The fact that John Kerry, who has the 11th-most-liberal cumulative National Journal vote rating, is going to the DLC should tell you something." <snip>
<snip>Campaign spokeswoman Laura Capps said Kerry's speech will focus on education. Specifically, he will call for increasing pay for teachers while holding them more accountable.
<snip>But the bulk of the council's focus will be, as usual, on policy. Scheduled sessions include such wonkish topics as "Doing More With Less: The Role of Public-Private Partnerships," "The Next Agenda for Environmental Policy: Five Big Ideas," and "Expanding Health Care Coverage in Tight Times."
<snip>Lee Miringoff of the Marist College Institute for Public Opinion, said, "Kerry's going there (to Phoenix), and he's not going there because they are insignificant. . . . But they don't have the kind of push they had in earlier election cycles."