Congressman Mike Honda believes that “igniting the American Dream” begins in the classroom. But, he recognizes that attaining it is endangered by an opportunity gap in public education where wealth disparities too often dictate which students at which schools will have the most success. He says it is time to shift the education paradigm by focusing on opportunity for each child based on their unique needs.
Mike Honda is a former High School science teacher, principal, and school board member. Before that he was an English language learner who was often too shy to speak up and failed his classes. His empathy for English language learners and the challenges they face inspired him to become an educator. As a congressman, he created the Educational Opportunity and Equity Commission to focus the needsFor Each and Every Child to ensure that each child has the same chance at obtaining a quality education no matter if they are mainstreamed or special education, English speaking or English language learner, low income or high income.
I spent some time comparing Congressman’s Mike Honda’s education page with that of his opponent, Ro Khanna.
Mr. Khanna
Spurring competition often produces the best outcomes. The Department of Education should commit an annual grant to be distributed equally to the 10 states doing the best job prioritizing STEM education. States that instruct students to code, improve on teaching math and science, or make computer use more available would receive “points” in a nation-wide competition. The 10 states that racked up the most points would receive grants, but states would be reevaluated each year, giving them new opportunities to compete and improve. Additionally, the grant recipients would have their best practices highlighted online so that other states could benefit from their approach.
Certainly STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics) is important, but students are not interchangeable widgets. Some students enjoy making art, but others don’t. Some students have a passion for math, while others have a passion for history. Some schools have money to spend on technology, some schools have little. This grant would likely go to the states with the most funding for schools and the fewest socio-economically disadvantaged students (SESD) students.
However, sharing best practices is a great idea, which may prove easier with the adoption of Common Core, since more teachers will be delving into similar content.
Congressman Honda
Sunnyvale High School 1971
Drawing from high tech culture of the Silicon Valley and his background as a science educator, Mike Honda has been on the forefront of establishing strong Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs in our public schools. Mike has introduced innovative legislation to improve STEM teacher preparation and fund the development of educational technologies. Silicon Valley provides a great model of how the private and public sector can work together to provide great learning experiences for students which expose students to problem solving, collaboration, and innovative thinking, skills that are essential for developing a vibrant workforce and economy for the 21st century.
Mr. Khanna
Offer tax incentives and support to math and science teachers. With growing demand for STEM professionals, our nation needs more math and science teachers in public schools to prepare students to meet the challenges of technical and high-paying STEM jobs.
We should offer tax incentives and commit more federal funds to help recruit math and science teachers who could otherwise turn to higher paying jobs in the private sector. One example is to provide a grant to pay off student loans for those who commit to teaching STEM in public schools for five years.
It is also essential that we provide STEM teachers with ongoing professional development, as updates and new innovations in STEM fields outpace those in other subject areas. The Department of Education should commit funds to give STEM teachers the opportunity to shadow engineers at local companies or attend supplemental courses at community colleges to learn about cutting edge STEM research. We should also encourage greater collaboration among science and math teachers within schools so that educators hold each other accountable for incorporating STEM into curriculums.
Hmm, what could go wrong? Let’s see, some human beings do not have suitable personalities to be a good teacher. Do we really want a harmful teacher for 5 years?
Congressman Honda
For America to remain a leader in innovation and competitive in the global economy, it is necessary to provide children with a 21st century education. To that end, it is imperative to improve the quality, quantity, and diversity of the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) workforce. In 2008, I worked with then-Senator Barack Obama to introduce the Enhancing STEM Education Act which sought to enhance the coordination among state and federal governments to improve STEM education by creating a committee on STEM education at the Office of Science and Technology Policy and an Office of STEM at the Department of Education, instituting a voluntary State Consortium on STEM education, and creating a National STEM Education Research Repository. Portions of this bill were enacted in the America COMPETES Act reauthorization.
Mr. Khanna
I have been very supportive of stable, local funding measures for education, such as those in the Cupertino Union School District and other school districts that help to cover the education budget shortfall and retain highly-qualified teachers in the classroom. Our classrooms are already overcrowded – the last thing we want to do is lay off educators.
That’s odd, because prior to the Local Control Funding Formula, CUSD was comparatively underfunded from state funds due to their agricultural past; to my knowledge they never reached equalization.. The district does have a lot of well off people who generously support their local schools. CUSD also benefits from having few socio-economically disadvantaged students (SESD), who are historically more difficult to educate.
Congressman Honda
Seeking to address the educational needs of the Silicon Valley region, I have secured funding for a number of innovative local projects including: the Synopsis Silicon Valley Science and Technology Outreach Foundation; the Resource Area for Teachers; Santa Clara University’s Learning Commons and Library; San Jose Unified School District’s Student Risk Assessment and Management Protocol project; Silicon Valley Education Foundation’s Inspiring Education Excellence in Silicon Valley; Walden West Foundation’s Science Learning project; the City of San Jose Child Care Tax Credit Outreach and Education Program; the Tech Museum of Innovation’s Virtual Science Theater; renovations to the De Anza College planetarium; the Center for Training and Careers; San Jose Early Start/Great Start; Central County Occupational Center’s fire science education program; and San Jose State University for educating the next generation of weather forecasters.
and
I believe that it is the right of each and every child to receive a quality education. Sadly, our separate and unequal schools and the mechanisms that determine funding for them have allowed educational inequalities to exist. The vast majority of students of color are being served by poor schools – under-funded schools with outdated, dilapidated facilities, crowded classrooms, and insufficient textbooks. To address the widespread disparity in the quality of education and opportunities children receive through the public school system, I introduced legislation to convene an independent group of educational leaders to examine the situation, and through my role as an appropriator I was able to create the Equity and Excellence Commission. In February 2013, the commission released a report outlining comprehensive recommendations to improve the public education system. To learn more about this issue, please see my webpage on educational equity. I will be working with the President, the Department of Education, and my colleagues in Congress to enact the recommendations presented in this report.
Mr. Khanna
We need to ensure that educators maintain quality standards once they are credentialed and working in the classroom by using multiple measures to evaluate teacher effectiveness. Implementing peer review, as one measurement approach, will ensure that educators keep current with the material they are teaching, and are effective and knowledgeable resources for their students. This type of in depth review would also have the benefits of reducing demand on administrators’ limited time, providing subject-mater expertise that a principal may lack, and introducing teachers’ perspectives into the evaluation process.
I agree that teacher evaluation should be transparent and well documented. However, I believe that teachers should have a say about who evaluates them and how that is accomplished. Most school districts have protocols in place and the unions can negotiate if teachers do not think the protocol is working. Congressman Honda would be aware that this is a local process and hence would not think to address this subject
Mr. Khanna
The quality of public education depends on the merit of our teachers. Great teachers inspire kids to think critically about the world, and there’s even evidence that they can increase their students’ future earnings by as much as $20,000. Excellent teachers deserve to be paid for their performance. The seniority-based lockstep salary schedule that currently determines teacher pay, however, does not permit merit-based raises or bonuses. America should value educators as we do any public servant, and our public policy should reflect that in how we pay the most effective teachers.
How do you know a teacher is a great teacher? Is a teacher who is effective with one student equally effective with all students? Or are you just going to reward the teachers with the most affluent students, as they tend to be easier to educate? What about Special Education teachers? Students are not widgets who can be interchanged.
Khanna also demonstrates some confusion over state verses federal roles in school governance. Not surprising since he is a college professor, but shouldn’t you have a well-researched website if you want to represent District 17 in congress?
Congressman Honda
Teachers are on the frontlines of educating children every day, and thus it is paramount that America prepares the best possible workforce to prepare our nation’s children. In the 113th Congress, I have prepared the Educator Preparation Reform Act which will address the challenges of attracting and retaining teachers who are well-prepared at rigorous clinical programs. In 2003, I introduced the Teacher Mentoring Act. Through bipartisan negotiations, I was able to get the bill, included in the Ready to Teach Act, which was passed by the House of Representatives. The legislation authorized grants to local educational agencies for teacher mentoring programs.
Mr. Khanna
NCLB [No Child Left Behind] needs to be reformed in a way that holds states and districts responsible for ambitious but achievable goals that ensure all students – regardless of socioeconomic status, native language, or disabilities – can learn. Doing so means closing the achievement gap between students from different backgrounds and ensuring that all students continue to make consistent and sustained progress over time. States and districts that do a good job on these metrics should be rewarded, and the federal government should intervene to improve outcomes in those that do not.
Under NCLB, achievement was measured in a single, high stakes bubble test which alas encouraged teaching to the test (and perhaps not teaching anything that might not be on the test). Older students also realized that the test results did not affect them individually, and did not feel compelled to complete the test properly. Less creative students might bubble all B’s whereas more creative students might bubble a happy face. They might encourage younger students to do the same. Answering President Bush’s question, “Is our children learning?” is important, but not trivial to answer.
Congressman Honda’s site: http://honda.house.gov/…
Mr. Khanna’s site: http://www.rokhanna.com/…
If anyone is interested in the question ‘Should schools be run like a business?’ please read this book: “Schools Cannot Do It Alone” by Jamie Vollmer. He is a business man who started out thinking that schools should be run like a business and came around to another view. He writes very well and has a dry wit that had me laughing out loud every few pages. Early on in his crusade, he was pontificating to a group and a female teacher stood up and asked “Mr. Vollmer, what do you do if you receive a bad shipment of blueberries?” He replied “I’d send it back.” She responded with “We can’t send them back! We have to take all the blueberries!”
This article first appeared on the Daily Kos
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