Independence in Education

As I told News 14 this week at the July 4th celebration in Harrisburg, the reason we continue to work so hard is that the issues that were so important to our supporters are still there. We know where Robin Hayes stands believing we need him, more than he needs us. We can't let his feet from the fire for one minute as votes impacting our nation continue to be decided by those in Washington.

One subject in particular, you know to be near and dear to me as I've blogged on it often, is revising http://bluenc.com/no-child-voter-worker-or-district-left-behind ">No Child Left Behind.

Generations to come will be impacted by Bush's efforts to renew his signature education policy, and this teacher joins the countless others happy to see Democratic Presidential candidates, finally http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/07/03/dems.nea.ap/index.html#cnnSTCText ">addressing the issue head on.

Drop out rates are already appalling, and in High Schools, the problem gets compounded after years of Federal intrusion and testing crushing creativity and individuality. It's even worse for minorities and our very rural or very urban areas already suffering from poverty and neglect.

Only half of African American and Native American students and 58 percent of Latinos graduate from high school on time. Many get discouraged and join the 1.2 million children who drop out each year; dropping out is closely associated with poverty, crime, and poor health care.

I talk about my own students in this week's Independent, and how in large part they motivated me to make this run for their future.

In your campaign, you say the country's gone off track. What do you tell your students about that?

One thing that motivated me [to run] was that I would look into the eyes of these kids and realize they had no idea what my generation was doing to their generation in terms of preparing for the future.... I try to remind them that when you pledge allegiance, it does not mean blind allegiance to what the leadership calls for at any particular moment. That you have an obligation to disagree when you think that is right—and that's why I was offering my opinions versus this administration and the direction they've carried us in so many different ways as basic as the environment, alternative fuels for the future, fiscal responsibility, the war, and the idea of Congress accepting its responsibility as the people's house [that comes first] in the Constitution.

Our children and their schools are depending on your voices to reach out and make sure sound byte legislation like 'No Child Left Behind' doesn't get a pass without REAL reform. We can get this nation back on track. It'll just take hard work, but when you look into the eyes of a child, you realize why we fight on. Join me in contacting those already in Washington and telling them we are watching and we want common sense legislation that truly leaves no child behind.