conrad

=Senator Conrad(D-OR)=

" Want to send your kids to public schools and not worry about their education? Not here. " =APPLE: AID PROGRESS & PRODUCTIVITY IN THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT=

The three key problems that are addressed in the APPLE bill are: > > Currently there are 3.2 million teachers at public schools. Every single one of these teachers have to administer routine standardized tests for math and language arts. This is according to the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLBA) and these tests are the sole thing that allows schools to stay afloat and not fail. When a school goes into a failing mode the students are allowed to switch to another school in their area. The NCLBA also requires the teachers to meet certain criteria and their pay is supposed raised. The federal government set these huge reforms to all public schools and in return it was their responsibility to pay for it, however they have neglected this responsibility. The state government does not have enough money to supply all public schools in every single district in every state. > > If the federal government does not pick up their signed obligation there is another option that could be taken. Currently the federal government is giving 15 billion dollars to Agricultural Subsidies annually. This money is to stop crop production and to ensure that this land will not have huge buildings built on top of it. This money is not being taxed, but if there were a 10% tax there would be 1.5 billion dollars to split up amongst the states. That would be 30 million dollars per state. > > People in college trying to become a teacher normally form an assumption about what teaching what teaching would actually be like, however, in most cases, they are wrong. So to both give them experience and to reduce the student to teacher ratio they should have to become a teacher assistant for public schools. The TA would be important, but not the dominant teaching figure in the classroom. The teacher would plan the entire curriculum, but the TA would know everything that was going on and would be able to help grade tests, answer questions, give lectures and have meetings. This would allow the teacher-to-be to get the experience that they need for their career, it would help the teacher because he/she would not be on overload, and, most importantly, it would help the students because they have another teacher to go to when they are having troubles.
 * Increase in teacher's salary
 * Increase teacher qualifications/experience
 * Decrease the student to teacher ratio



__Here is the bill, so you can read over and get your opinion beforehand.


 * Louise S. McGehee Congress**
 * 1st Session**

To aid progress and productivity in the learning environment that better the lives of teachers and students. Sponsored by Senator Conrad Along with Co Sponsors: Senator Summitt (R-CA), Senator De Klerk (D-CT), Senator Potts (D-PA), Senator Brown (D-), Senator Joseph (D-ID), Senator Drumm (D-)
 * S. ­­­­­**__**_**
 * IN**
 * THE YLI CONGRESS**
 * February 22, 2008**

_

A Bill

To aid progress and productivity in the learning environment that better the lives of teachers and students.

//1 Be it enacted by the McGehee Congress of the McGehee Congress// //2 Of the United States of America in Congress assembled// 3 **SECTION 1: TITLE** 4 APPLE: Aid Progress & Productivity in the Learning Environment 5 **SECTION 2: PURPOSES** 6 To make the teachers of public schools capable and prepared to teach their students, 7 the federal government has to: 8 (1) Raise the qualifications of teachers 9 (1) With the teacher’s assistant plan, adults interested in becoming a 10 teacher would have the experience they need for their future career 11 (2) Since the actual teachers would be mentoring their assistant, they too 12 would have to be prepared with rigorous testing to ensure their position 13 (2) Reduce student to teacher ratio 14 (1) Adults getting educated to become a teacher can become a teacher’s 15 assistant 16 (2) The teacher assistant would then get the experience he or she needs 17 before beginning their career 18 (3) The actual teacher would plan the curriculum, but the teacher’s 19 assistant or TA would know everything that would go on in class and 20 would be able to answer questions, meet with the students, and take 21 over when the teacher is out 22 (4) The TA would not actually be paid because this would serve as an 23 internship, preparing themselves for their future career path 24 (3) Increase teacher salary 25 (1) With highly educated teachers, there needs to be enough money in 26 their income to pay off their own college loans and support their daily 27 life style 28 **SECTION 3: FINDINGS** 29 (1) The No Child Left Behind Act allowed the federal government to set national 30 reforms to all public schools requiring them to: 31 (1) Take routine standardized tests in math and language arts 32 (2) Increase teachers’ salary 33 (3) Increase the qualifications of the teachers 34 (A) However the No Child Left Behind Act was supposed to pay for these 35 expenses because the state government cannot afford to increase the teachers’ 36 salary, their qualifications, prepare their students for these new tests, and fund 37 these tests for every single public school. 38 (B) The issue of funding was addressed in the No Child Left Behind Act and was 39 supposed to be the federal government’s responsibility, however they have not 40 compensated for the expenses that all public schools are suffering with. 41 **SECTION 4: FUNDING** 42 (1) The federal government should take up their funding responsibility from the No 43 Child Left Behind 44 (2) However the federal government is currently giving 15 billion dollars to 45 Agricultural Subsidies annually 46 (1) This money is, in a large quantity, going to huge corporations that 47 don’t need the money. 48 (2) The federal government does not currently tax this and if they were to 49 tax it by 10%, there would be a total of 1.5 billion dollars 50 (A) This 1.5 billion dollars could be split up amongst the states and 51 each state would receive 30 million dollars to help with the 52 teacher’s salary along with other criteria 53 **SECTION 5: ELIGIBILITY** 54 An individual may apply if he or she 55 (1) Is a public school teacher 56 (2) Is an adult being educated to become a teacher 57 **SECTION 6: TERMS AND BENEFITS OF SERVICE** 58 (1) Raise the qualifications of teachers 59 (2) Increase teachers’ salary 60 (3) Reduce the student to teacher ratio by requiring those in college for teaching, to 61 be a teacher’s assistant 62 (4) Funding through the federal government OR 63 (5) Through taxation of Agricultural Subsidies

Here is the committee report:

In brief: It was passed with some reservations about the specifics for how to decrease the student to teacher ratio and where the money was going to come from to fund the pay raise.

Today the APPLE Bill passed because it was deemed an important topic. However there were some concerns and revisions were concerning funding and the specifics of how the student to teacher ratio was going to be reduced. All of these concerns are now in the revised copy of the bill. For funding the No Child Left Behind Act was previously responsible for funding for the standardized testing provided to the public schools, increasing teacher salary, and making the teacher qualifications of teachers harder. These issues were addressed in the No Child Left Behind Act and were also supposed to be funded by the federal government. However they have not funded for all of these criteria and the state government does not have the amount of money to pay for all of their public school systems with these new requirements. If the federal government continues to neglect their end of the act, there is a new system that could be enacted. Currently the federal government is giving 15 billion dollars to Agricultural subsidies annually. The majority of this money is given to huge corporations for them not to grow crops. The federal government doesn’t want them to build buildings on this land and also does not want the economy to go down. If the federal government were to tax 10% of the 15 billion dollars that they give to the Agricultural Subsidies, there would be 1.5 billion dollars to split up amongst the 50 states. That would be 30 million dollars per state alone for education. People that are in college to become teachers have an idea of what they believe teaching will be like, however, in most cases, they’re incorrect in their assumptions. For this and to tackle the problem of how to reduce the student to teacher ratio colleges should require their students to be a teacher’s assistant. This TA would get a whole bunch of experience and the federal government would not have to pay them because it would be part of their education. The TA would be completely informed of the curriculum, but the actual teacher would have designed it. The TA would be able to answer questions that students have and therefore the students would have two teachers to meet with when they are having trouble. And all of these issues were addressed and written into the new revised APPLE bill.

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