Early Childhood Education Matters

Education is of vital importance in your child's young life.  I can't recall how many times my mother sat me in front of the television to watch Sesame Street.  Practically everyday.  Click here to Learn More.

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 011 - Arts and Culture

What a great week so far, but we've only touched the tip of the iceberg.  The achievements are far greater than you could've imagined and I'm about to share this with you.

I'm on my 11th issue of this new series and have already posted 28 WTFs (achievements) President Barack Obama has accomplished in merely three years of holding office.  But just to give  you an idea of what you can expect over the next 38 weeks, I have yet to cover Banking and Financial Reform, Commerce Trade and Technology, Conservation, Housing, Humanitarianism, Infrastructure, Labor, Law and Justice, Medicaid/Medicare/Social Security, Space Exploration, Green Energy, Old Energy, Oil Energy, the list goes on.  And in-between those issues I have to go back to each and every one, because there's hundreds of achievements under each category.

Today, we'll focus on Arts & Culture.  Often times we tend to overlook our great history, how we got here and the inventions and the technologies that brought us into the 21st century.  I grew up in the 80s, so having a cell phone for the first time was the most amazing thing ever.  Knowing that we could talk and our voice somehow manage to soar through the air was incomprehensible to me.  We take this kind of stuff for granted, especially those born in the mid to late 1990s, and we shouldn't.  We need to remember how we got here - value life in the best possible way.  Visit museums and libraries - discover our rich history.  Explore the arts and the amazing architecture of our nation.  Discover how each steel was raised, brick was laid or how a log was milled.  There are only 4 achievements for this category, so without further ado...

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Increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) to the highest level since 1992.

Over the last 15 years, government funding for the National Endowment for the Arts has been slashed from $175 million annually in 1992 to $125 million today. Barack Obama and Joe Biden support increased funding for the NEA, the support of which enriches schools and neighborhoods all across the nation and helps to promote the economic development of countless communities. [Reference-1]

When President Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, he restored the National Endowment for the Arts' funding to its highest level since 1992. Under the bill, $50 million will be distributed in direct grants to fund arts projects and activities. According to the text of the bill, the allocation will be used to "preserve jobs in the nonprofit arts sector" and compensate for diminished philanthropic support caused by the economic downturn. [Reference-2]

On Friday, October 30^th, President Obama signed the Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act. The bill provides $167.5 million in funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, which is a $12.5 million increase over last year’s funding and their highest funding level in sixteen years. [Reference-3, Reference-4]

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Created an artist corps for public schools.

As a candidate, Barack Obama promised to "support the creation of an 'Artists Corps' of young artists trained to work in low-income schools and their communities."

President Obama can cross this promise off his to-do list. On April 21, 2009, he signed the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act, named after the Massachusetts senator. Among other things, the act increases the number of positions within the AmeriCorps program from 75,000 to 250,000 by 2017, establishes a nationwide Call to Service campaign, and expands age and income eligibility for foster grandparents and senior companions.

Buried deep inside the bill, in Section 1302, is a list of programs that are eligible for federal funding. One of these programs is the Education Corps, which the bill calls on to provide--and this is key--"skilled musicians and artists to promote greater community unity through the use of music and arts education and engagement through work in low-income communities, and education, health care, and therapeutic settings, and other work in the public domain with citizens of all ages." That sounds like the Artist Corps to us.  [Reference]

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Championed the importance of arts education.

During the campaign, Barack Obama pledged to "promote the importance of arts and arts education in America." Advocates of the promise say an arts education can help students raise their scores in writing and math, and that understanding of the arts is helpful for success in the modern, globally competitive economy.

Since taking office in January 2009, the Obama administration has made several public statements promoting arts education.

In May, at the opening night of the American Ballet Theater in New York, first lady Michelle Obama said, "Learning through the arts reinforces critical academic skills in reading, language arts and math, and provides students with the skills to creatively solve problems. My husband and I believe strongly that arts education is essential for building innovative thinkers who will be our nation's leaders for tomorrow." [Reference]

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Promoted cultural diplomacy.

Back in December 2009 we reported on President Barack Obama's efforts to promote cultural diplomacy by increasing the number of cultural and arts exchanges throughout the world.

At the time, we noted that the House passed legislation earlier in the year that included $600 million -- $62 million more than in 2009 -- for the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, which is responsible for overseeing Department of State cultural initiatives. Meanwhile, the Senate Appropriations Committee provided $635.2 million.

Obama increased the budget for international cultural exchange programs in his 2010 budget. The proposed 2011 budget would lower the amount slightly, but it is still above the 2009 level by tens of millions.  [Reference]

Please make sure to read the next issue, Issue No. 012 - Conservation as I continue with
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Posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day!

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 010 - Education: Children

Yesterday I posted three achievements our President has accomplished over the last three years in regard to college education.  Today I would like to focus on our children.  What has the President done to help your child in the three years he's been in office.  Republicans will tell you, "not a damn thing, this President is a failure at everything,"  but that is simply not the case - that's BS.

President Barack Obama has managed to cover 2 broad policies, 11 funding policies, and 8 targeted actions in regard to our children's education, and future generations.  As hard as it was, he managed to do it with Republicans fighting him every inch of the way.  Remember, they said it from the beginning, their number one priority was to make sure Obama is a one-term President.  And if America fails, Obama fails.

In today's issue I will cover the two broad polices I mentioned earlier, and one in regard to funding.

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Created the Race to the Top Fund ($4.35 billion) to reward States that create comprehensive education reform plans.

Authorized under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA), the Race to the Top Assessment Program provides funding to consortia of States to develop assessments that are valid, support and inform instruction, provide accurate information about what students know and can do, and measure student achievement against standards designed to ensure that all students gain the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in college and the workplace. These assessments are intended to play a critical role in educational systems; provide administrators, educators, parents, and students with the data and information needed to continuously improve teaching and learning; and help meet the President's goal of restoring, by 2020, the nation's position as the world leader in college graduates. 

Through the Race to the Top Assessment Program, the Department awarded two Comprehensive Assessment Systems grants in September 2010.  [Reference-1, Reference-2]

The Obama Administration is committed to reforming America’s public schools to provide every child access to a complete and competitive education.  President Obama recently presented states with an unprecedented challenge and the opportunity to compete in a “Race to the Top” designed to spur systemic reform and embrace innovative approaches to teaching and learning in America’s schools.  Backed by a historic $4.35 billion investment, the reforms contained in the Race to the Top will help prepare America’s students to graduate ready for college and career, and enable them to out-compete any worker, anywhere in the world. [Reference-2]

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Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009.

On February 4, 2009, President Obama signed the Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 (CHIPRA). This legislation marked a new era in children’s coverage by providing states with significant new funding, new programmatic options, and a range of new incentives for covering children through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). One of the clear goals of the legislation is to support states in developing efficient and effective strategies to identify, enroll, and retain health coverage for uninsured children who are eligible for Medicaid or CHIP but are not enrolled. CHIPRA also provided flexibility to states to expand health care coverage to children who need it, and tasked the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with developing standards by which states can measure the quality of the care that children are receiving.

U.S. Census Bureau data show that, in 2008, the uninsured rate among children was at the lowest level since 1987, yet 7.3 million children did not have health insurance coverage that year. [Reference-1, Reference-2]

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Provided funding for high-speed, broadband Internet access to K-12 schools.

"There's a big gap that remains between rural and urban areas because it's just hard to make a business case in rural areas," said Jonathan Adelstein, the agriculture department's rural utilities service administrator, in a conference call with reporters. "Rural areas' future depends upon access to broadband and we're not where we need to be today."

The states that will benefit from the funding are: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

As many as one in 10 Americans can't get Internet connections fast enough to engage in such common online activities as watching video or teleconferencing, and two thirds of schools have broadband connections that are too slow to meet their needs, the Commerce Department reported earlier this year. [Reference-1, Reference-2]

As promised, I will come back to this topic in another issue.  Please make sure to read the next issue, Issue No. 011 - Arts and Culture as I continue with
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Posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day!

WTF Has Obama Done? - Issue No. 009 - Education: College

Only 3 years in office, President Barack Obama has achieved more in Education than any other President in the last 40-plus years.  In these 3 years he's covered 5 broad policies, 13 funding initiatives which include programs and grants, and 10 targeted actions - all for our children and college students.  And need I remind you? HE'S ONLY BEEN IN OFFICE 3 YEARS!

Don't let them lie to you, it's the truth!  No matter how hard they try and convince you otherwise, the facts are there.  I have included excerpts and references down below, and if you find them to be false, please let me know.

Today I will cover 3 broad policies in reference to college education.

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Enacted largest reform of student aid in 40 years.

Instead of private banks issuing loans guaranteed by the government, the government will now become the originator of the loan.

The change will eliminate private banks as “middlemen” in the loan process and will save the US government about $68 billion dollars over 11 years, according to the White House.

Eventually, students with federal loans will qualify for better repayment terms. Part of the legislation signed today also improves repayment terms first enacted last summer. Loan payments will be capped at 10 percent of a student’s disposable income (it’s currently 15 percent) and any debt remaining after 20 years will be forgiven (the current threshold is 25). For public servants – including teachers, nurses, or members of the armed forces – that cap is 10 years.  [Reference-1]

The change reflected in the new law represents a significant loss in what has been a $70 billion business for the banking industry. [Reference-2]

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Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010.

"For a long time, our student loan system has worked for banks and financial institutions. Today, we’re finally making our student loan system work for students and our families.  But we’re also doing something more.

From the moment I was sworn into office, I’ve spoken about the urgent need for us to lay a new foundation for our economy and for our future.  And two pillars of that foundation are health care and education, and each has long suffered from problems that we chose to kick down the road.

With the bill I signed last week, we finally undertook meaningful reform of our health care system.  With this bill, and other steps we’ve pursued over the last year, we are finally undertaking meaningful reform in our higher education system.  So this week, we can rightly say the foundation on which America’s future will be built is stronger than it was one year ago." - President Barack Obama

The Act will also invest savings in Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Serving Institutions. [Reference]

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Established President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans.

On January 29, 2010, the President signed Executive Order 13530, to help keep America competitive and assist the American people in understanding and addressing financial matters, and thereby contribute to financial stability, it is the policy of the Federal Government to promote and enhance financial capability among the American people. Financial capability is the capacity, based on knowledge, skills, and access, to manage financial resources effectively. In order to develop this capacity, individuals must have appropriate access to and understanding of financial products, services, and concepts. Financial capability empowers individuals to make informed choices, avoid pitfalls, know where to go for help, and take other actions to improve their present and long-term financial well-being. [Reference-1, Reference-2, Reference-3]

As promised, I will come back to this topic in another issue.  Please make sure to read the next issue, Issue No. 010 - Education: Children as I continue with
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Posted daily or weekly on BLADE 7184 until Election Day!

If The World Were A Village of 100 People: Issue No. 10 - Education

We are halfway there!  This is the 10th poster out of the 20 posters I have shared with you over the past several months.

Every week I have been asking, "What if the world were a village of 100 people?"  And by using statistics based on the spread of the population in the world, Toby Ng Design created these posters as another way of looking at how our world is today. 

If you missed any of the previous issues, click here.

I Quote That - Never Confuse Education

Smart-Ass Students

We've all been there.  The teacher asks you a question and you give him/her a smart remark.  Let's see if any of these will jog your memory.

America and Europe's Thoughts...

(Source)