lieves that improving education is a mandatory step in helping to relieve this economic paralysis. The first step in this process is to reward financially those teachers whose student achievement improves. In addition, Obama states that it is time to “move bad teachers out of the classroom.” With attention paid to funding schools, Obama hopes that teachers will have the resources they need to educate students to the fullest extent and hopefully, in turn, to strengthen America’s educational system.

In his speech to the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Obama emphasized the discouraging downfall in American education. America has turned its back on education for far too long and Obama feels it is time to change that, a sentiment that The Pitch strongly believes in. With the way schools are being run today, students are not receiving a proper and fulfilling education. To ensure that children are getting such an education, the importance of teaching must be impressed on all teachers. Many teachers go unappreciated and underpaid while their hard work should be recognized and rewarded. Without help from valued teachers, students may not be molded into well-educated and self-sufficient individuals who are imperative to our future.

Some of Obama’s ideas for the public school reformation include extending time during school days and for charter schools to experiment more with innovative curriculums. And while some schools execute different programs, Obama wants to establish a standard curriculum for all public schools to follow so that students can be judged by the same criteria.

With public schools receiving an estimated $100 billion in new federal money under the economic stimulus package, this investment is far from small, which is why many people are skeptical of the idea. And with this kind of money, Education Secretary Arne Duncan will hopefully be able to influence state governments and local school districts to strengthen the public schooling system.

Increasing pay for hard-working teachers is what Obama hopes will increase motivation to educate children more thoroughly and effectively. The Pitch agrees that without rewarding good educators and eliminating bad ones, our public schools may never experience their much needed reformation and success.