President Obama pushes new education plan

The plan promotes charter schools and pay based on teacher performance. The President is threatening to withhold funding from states that resist reform.

According to the Washington Post, this is the largest-single education reform plan in United States history, at least in terms of cost. The U.S. Congress has appropriated more than $4 billion for President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan to use as part of their "Race to the Top" program. The program is the heart of a solution to what President Obama calls a "slow-rolling crisis." He's referring to the U.S. public education system. In an exclusive interview with the Washington Post, the President said "Race to the Top" is about promoting the best practices and higher standards. "[W]hat we want to do is raise standards, but also provide the kinds of best practices, with money behind it, that evidence shows allows every child to meet these standards," said the President. The plan in brief calls for more charter schools and teacher pay based more on performance. It also looks to build on the common standards outlined by Obama's predecessor, George W. Bush. President Obama is using the checkbook given to him by Congress to leverage his plan. He says he'll withhold money from states that don't accept his reform. "If there are states that just don't want to go in this direction, that's their prerogative," the President told the Post. He also added that this plan won't solve the problem overnight. "Improving the quality of schools and the student achievement is a long, deliberate process."