'Education starts at home'
TEACHERS UNION | Obama picks up endorsement, says he'll fix No Child Left Behind
Sen. Barack Obama collected the endorsement of the American Federation of Teachers Sunday and promised to fix "the broken promises" of the No Child Left Behind law -- which he said has done little besides label schools and students as failures.
Obama addressed the AFT, the nation's second largest teachers union, via satellite just after its 3,000 delegates overwhelmingly endorsed him during their convention at Navy Pier.
(AP)
Speaking from San Diego, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee called for more funds for special education and for programs that allow school districts to afford incentive pay for teachers who take on difficult assignments. But Obama did not spell out the costs or say which parts of his education platform would be federal mandates imposed on states.
The AFT, which has 1.4 million members, was an early backer of Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. To orchestrate the new endorsement, union leaders brought Clinton to the convention on Saturday to urge a united front behind Obama.
John Ost, director of political mobilization for the AFT, said the endorsement frees the union to dispatch staff and around 700 volunteers in a nationwide effort for Obama. He said the union concentrates on lobbying its own members, not the general public.
The nation's largest teachers union, the National Education Association, has also endorsed Obama.
Obama used the AFT speech to air his theme of personal responsibility, saying more parents need to assist educators by turning off TV and helping children with homework. "Responsibility for our children's education starts at home," he said in a 10-minute address. "We have to set high standards for them, and spend time with them and love them. We have to hold ourselves accountable."
Obama criticized Sen. John McCain, his Republican opponent, for opposing increases in education funding to preserve tax breaks for the rich.
No Child Left Behind is a Bush administration law that set out new standards for public schools, although critics say it is inadequately funded and causes some schools to concentrate on test scores instead of learning.
Obama touched only on funding in his criticism of the law. He also said he favors parents having more choice of schools within the public system, but not the use of vouchers for private schools.
McCain, he said, recycles "tired rhetoric" about vouchers and school choice. "We need to focus on fixing and improving our public schools, not throwing our hands up and walking away from them," Obama said.