An investigation by USA Today into drastic test score turnarounds at Noyes elementary, a Washington, DC public school, revealed that seventh grade students in one classroom at the school each had, on average, nearly 13 wrong answers that were erased and changed to the correct answer.

Coincidence? Maybe not. In 2006, 10% of the school’s students “passed” the standardized math test. In 2008, nearly 60 percent did. Tests scores showed the school made similar gains on the reading portion of the test. Perhaps the teachers simply worked harder and ensured students absorbed the lessons? Maybe. But it’s important, for comparison, to note that the average wrong to right erasure for seventh graders throughout the D.C. public school system was less than one.

Noyes elementary school isn’t the only one with questionable score improvement. 58 Atlanta schools are under investigation because high rates of wrong answers changed to right on student answer sheets raised flags. Similar occurrences have raised red flags in Detroit as well.

If this is, in fact, cheating, who is responsible? Teachers? School principals? No one is sure but one thing is certain: if it’s happening in DC, Detroit and Atlanta, it is happening in other cities. Changing test answers to fake improvement doesn’t help our students. It hurts them. That is why a federal task force needs to be formed to investigate drastic improvement on standardized tests at our nation’s public schools. We want to believe that our teachers and principals are honest but we also know that fear – of being fired if students perform poorly – or greed – teachers and principals at Noyes received bonuses when scores improved – are powerful motivators.

There also needs to be another way to measure student performance. We cannot simply rely on standardized tests. Periodic monitoring can easily show how students and teachers perform in the classroom. Required essays and math ‘projects’ will show us that students can actually apply what they are taught. Diversifying the way we measure student performance – and deciding the fate of teachers, principals and schools – will also help keep things honest.

The Head Start Program is yet another social program the Republican Party has targeted for major cuts. Head Start provides educational and health services to low-income children and their families. Head Start has been one of the most studied early education programs since it began more than 40 years ago. The program has proven itself to be one of the United State’s most successful social experiments and an efficient use of taxpayer dollars. Research shows students who complete Head Start do better both socially and academically and are less likely to drop out of high school.

Yet, Republicans want to cut the program by more than 22-percent. They say Head Start isn’t as effective as supporters claim. To be fair, some studies show that achievement levels of some Head Start attendees start to drop off after first grade. However, this could speak to the quality of the school they enroll in after the program. Additionally, the program’s opponents say too much money is spent maintaining the program and not enough on enrolling new students.

It’s not clear if the Republican Party is against poor people, working mothers, low-income children or all three. All of the cuts it’s leaders have moved to make have been to programs the support and empower the poor. If they are successful in taking away the building blocks that many have used to create a foundation for future success, America’s middle class will continue to shrink and the number of families living below the poverty line will increase.

If the Republicans were serious about balancing the budget they’d take a look at programs with inflated and misappropriated budgets, starting with the military. Sure, it’s critical that the U.S. has a strong military in place but studies have shown that program is rife with wasteful spending. It’s not the only area where money is either being wasted or being misused. A good, honest budget scrub will show the Republicans – and Democrats – just which programs can handle significant cuts.
If you believe in the power of Head Start and can testify to how it helped a child – past or present – in your life, call your elected officials. Let them know that they absolutely cannot cut Head Start. Our children’s – and our nation’s – success depends on it.

A recent article in the New York Times shed light on this disturbing movement toward larger class sizes. According to the article, the size of 11th and 12th grade classes in Los Angeles has increased by more than 40 students. Detroit is considering increasing the size of its high school classes to 60 students. Though school officials there say its unlikely classes will grow that large, it’s disturbing the conversation has even turned in that direction. It doesn’t end there. Georgia, Nevada, Ohio and Wisconsin have all relaxed their restrictions on class size. Idaho and Texas are deciding whether or not they are going to grow they’re classrooms.

Those who see cutting back on teachers and increasing class sizes as a solution to budget woes are the same people who don’t believe class size matters when it comes to student achievement. However, multiple studies have shown us that class size does matter. Research shows that, overall, students perform better in smaller classes. Poor and minority children seem to do best in smaller classes and improve at twice the rate of the average student when the student–teacher ratio is low. But who needs research? Common sense tells us that more students mean more distractions for the teacher and less individual attention for the students.

During his State of the Union address, President Obama called on America to invest in education. By putting our resources toward our children, we will, in effect, be putting a down payment on a more prosperous future for America. School districts should not sacrifice student performance during a time of education crisis. America has fallen behind other countries when it comes to producing skilled workers; our nation is no longer a nation of innovators. To jeopardize our children’s future is to jeopardize our nation’s future.

This is just more bad news for the country’s education system, which ranks 14th on a list of 34 developed countries for reading skills, 17th for science and 25th for math. On an international scale, our student’s are being outpaced by their counterparts in Europe and Asia and, as a nation, we’ve yet to develop a system that allows our students to compete.

In his recent State of the Union address, President Obama challenged not only Congress but the country as a whole: imploring us to a better job of educating our students and preparing them for a life past high school. He called for expanded educational funding and greater parent involvement. Though he didn’t necessarily speak about teacher accountability – teachers unions fund campaigns at high dollar amounts so that’s a touchy political subject – we also know this area needs to be addressed as well.

If we don’t invest more money and time we’ll continue to lose jobs to countries that better prepare their students for the workforce. Now, we have the added worry of the impact our subpar schools will have on our ability to protect ourselves as a nation. Improving the national education system is a priority for this country; our status as a world power – both economically and militarily – depends on our ability to do better by our students.

Pell Grants are federally funded grants awarded to those who demonstrate a financial need. In the past, the number of institutional grants – awarded by universities to students for a variety of reasons, not only financial, – surpassed those awarded by the government. Last year, however, more government grants were issued. Additionally, the amount available to individual students and families has increased. The government provided, on average, about $3600 in grants for low-income students and allows middle class families to claim education tax credits. In the last year, however, around $3,400 in federal grants were awarded to students at two-year colleges, $6,100 to those at public four-year schools and $16,000 to those attending private four-year institutions.

This increased funding, which students don’t have to pay back, opens up higher education to more students than ever before, despite increasing tuition costs. According to the College Board, the average in-state student at a public four-year university pays over $16,000 a year in tuition and room and board. After the grant money is applied, the balance can be paid through family contributions, work study programs or student loans. A financially savvy student could opt to live at home while attending college, eliminating fees for room and board. This would lower their costs significantly and, in many cases, result in no out of pocket expenses. With the economy forcing many of those in the middle class into uncertain financial conditions, this increase in college funding could not have come at a better time.

Many critics complain this elevated education spending, in conjunction with other investments, created a national budget deficit that will negatively impact future generations. Nothing could be further from the truth. As more and more Americans receive college degrees, this country will be able to once again compete in the global marketplace. Business sectors will grow as the pool of qualified, educated workers grows. The Obama administration has wisely chosen to invest in education and, by doing so, it is investing in America’s future.

A new report shows that states allocated more than $6 billion to four year colleges and universities over a five year period to pay for the education of students who did not return for their second year. The study also shows that the federal government and states together spent almost $3 billion on grants for students who didn’t start their sophomore year.

In a depressed economy, it’s particularly disturbing to learn that money is essentially being wasted to pay for educations that are not being received. However, the answer is not, as many critics suggest, to discourage students who may not be ready for college from attending. Rather, schools and the government must work together to figure out how we can support students throughout their college careers and ensure they graduate.

Graduating from college is a great personal achievement. Doing so can dramatically change the graduate’s quality of life. College graduates earn almost $1 million more over the course of their career than those with a high school diploma. But it’s not just the graduate’s who win. The additional money they earn is then put back into the economy. Additionally, a more educated workforce helps lift the American economy since the workers companies have to choose from will be more qualified. Making sure our young people finish college isn’t important to just their personal success; it’s key to our continued growth as a society.

Most parents – and society at large – expect young adults attending college to have the skills to handle all that is required of them. That isn’t always the case. From dealing with increased financial pressures that come with paying for school to juggling a more rigorous course load to new social pressures, college is a different world and, unfortunately, many students crack under the pressure.

Schools must work to increase their student service programs to provide financial, academic and psychological counseling to students at every step of their academic career. College readiness is not always determined by academics; we must take the necessary steps to ensure our kids are able to handle all of the new pressures and responsibilities of college.

In early August, President Obama signed a $26 billion federal aid package that granted $10 billion to the country’s school districts. The money would allow schools to keep existing teachers on staff or rehire those who had been laid off, as well as bring on new teachers, counselors, and other school staff. Instead of moving quickly and creating a hiring boom, many states began thinking of ways to save the money so that it could be used for other school years and purposes.

One of the key points being made by schools is that they’ll be in the same position next year if they use the money for a major hiring rush this school year; they are hesitant to hire for positions that may not be funded down the road. While this is a valid cause for concern, more pressing is the fact that, if schools don’t use the funds now to bring on enough qualified teachers, class sizes will increase and student learning will suffer.

School districts can work with the federal government during the upcoming school year to secure funding for future school years. Today, however, they should access and spend the $10 billion to hire teachers.

The immediate needs of our students should remain the highest priority. A school year spent in an over crowded classroom where there is no time for individualized attention could be a major academic setback for a student. As a nation, we cannot afford that.

Organizations that provide private college scholarship have cut back on the money they give to students, thanks in part to the economic downturn. Funding sources have either been reduced or completely eliminated, to the detriment of those wanting to further their education. These cuts, combined with a difficult economic climate that makes it even harder for families to afford college tuition, are dashing the college dreams of numerous students across the country, most of whom come from working and middle class families.

Even though the economy has made things difficult for numerous industries, now is not the time for scholarship cutbacks. During an economic downturn, Americans should be encouraged to return to school to obtain training, increase their skills or to develop new ones. This way, when things improve – and they always do – these individuals will be better prepared for the job market. The quality of workers available to employers will have improved and companies will be motivated to refrain from outsourcing key jobs.

The financial coffers of the foundations and other organizations that offer scholarships are drained. So the government must step in. Given the assistance that has been extended to other industries, it is not too much to ask that the government help the workers who may potentially help grow these sectors in the future. Because state scholarship programs have also taken a hit – California is considering shutting down its state scholarship program and Pennsylvania has reduced the amount of funds available to students – the responsibility falls on the federal government to ensure students have access to money for college.

The federal government should either expand the economic stimulus package to include funds for college scholarships or create a new funding source specifically for this purpose. Additionally, federal grants to students need to be further extended and programs designed to eliminate student loan debt in exchange for work – i.e. teaching for a year, working in new industries in city’s hit by urban blight – need to be researched and implemented.

Some have argued that the current administration is on a spending frenzy and will attempt to block the allocation of additional funds for college students. However, even in an economic crisis, it is important to invest in the future. And there is nothing more important to the continued growth of this country’s economy than its workforce.