Without President Lyndon Johnson's leadership, the landmark Elementary and Secondary Education Act would never have become law. Federal support for public education has waxed and waned in the years since, sinking in the 1980s and then coming back in the 1990s, but, today, federal dollars still amount to just under 7 percent of the cost of operating America's public schools. That could change. In December, Vice President Al Gore became the first American political leader in 35 years to propose a fundamental expansion of federal support for public education. This month's NEA Today takes a closer look.
All candidates say they support education.
Those dollars would be earmarked for a wide range of initiatives, from raising teacher salaries and reducing class size to making preschool more universally accessible. A sizeable increase. This boost would clearly amount to the largest single federal funding increase for educating kids since the 1964 passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. No President has ever before pushed for a program to directly raise teacher salaries. To address this reality, the Gore plan would award grants to districts that create partnerships to raise teacher standards and provide professional support to help all teachers succeed.