The Big Ideas Project

Education Stimulus. Invest (the money that the big bankers/General Motors repaid from their stimulus) in every school district in the country. Stipulate that they use the funds to hire more educators and bring teachers' pay up to par with those in similar professions.

Submitted by harpoboys in Education Dec. 9, 2014, 10:58 a.m.

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#956

171 votes

Free college education.

Submitted by Robert H. from VA in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 8:42 p.m.

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#956

171 votes

We need to help our students in college with their loans. . We need to have a "work for America" program that provides a specific amount of loan forgiveness for a certain time period of work for teaching, social work, child care, geriatric care, and case work for the handicapped or other social work or community service projects such as park maintenance or recreation area clean up and maintenance while teaching job skills to the unemployed.

Submitted by Rex_in_Minnesota in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 6:06 p.m.

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#960

170 votes

Give free breakfast and lunch in all public schools! This country has enough food to feed our children! Then give food over vacations!

Submitted by marionfrances in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 8:38 p.m.

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#960

170 votes

Cap higher education tuition. Make it affordable again. Better yet, free. If France can do it, so can we. Banks are making a fortune off of student loans and I suspect encouraging higher ed. institutions to raise their tuition rates to boost student loan lending. Allow student loans to be discharged if an individual cannot make a living in their chosen career. Disallow lenders to seize social security payments to pay off their loans. Create more ways for loans to be forgiven.

Submitted by MGG in Education Dec. 18, 2014, 9:48 p.m.

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#970

167 votes

Reform of K-12 to make schools a productive and rewarding experience by curricula that focuses on teaching the strategies needed to learn.

Submitted by Lora Shapiro in Education Nov. 18, 2014, 3:58 p.m.

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#1003

159 votes

Pre-school, being essential, is every child's right, not to be reserved for those whose parents are well paid. Universal public pre-school would be an economic boon, saving untold wasted resources now being lost. People who have been failed by their own culture, are now costing us in poor outcomes like unemployment, drug epidemics, and pointless imprisonment. Education saves lives as well as saving money.

Submitted by Wren in Education Dec. 12, 2014, 10:23 p.m.

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#1003

159 votes

If not Free, than at least Affordable Education. Education is an investment in our future, our country's future, our children's future. It should not cost a fortune and should be accessible to all. For example, the Cal. UC system just announced raising tuition AGAIN. All the tuition money only goes to overpaid Administrators whose salaries are constantly going up instead of toward the actual education of the students.

Submitted by Sabine Jordan from CA in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 8:29 p.m.

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#1019

155 votes

Make community college education free for legal residents of the state in fields of high economic demand such as, engineering, computer science and nursing.

Submitted by Rohit K. from VA in Education Jan. 4, 2015, 10:21 p.m.

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#1040

151 votes

Help students with private, not just federal, student loans to refinance or get loan forgiveness if their school went under.

Submitted by Therese R. from NV in Education Nov. 17, 2014, 8:12 a.m.

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#1050

149 votes

No one should graduate from high school without learning basic life skills, such as: driving a car, fixing a flat, balancing a checkbook, swimming well enough, to fall in and not drown, cooking basic meals and food shopping, writing up a simple sales or employment contract, basic first aid and death prevention skills, such as "the heimlich maneuver" or "applying direct pressure to a bleeding wound", filling out a resume and job application skills, not to mention reading and writing levels!

Submitted by Fonty F. from TX in Education Dec. 27, 2014, 5:17 p.m.

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#1050

149 votes

Simply pay educators proper salary for their efforts to educate our children. Most if not all are under paid.

Submitted by joy b. from NM in Education Jan. 9, 2015, 12:10 p.m.

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#1064

147 votes

Dramatic reductions in federal & state funding of public colleges & universities over the past 15 years have 1) caused large tuition price increases & 2) driven these public institutions to the private sector for funding, making academia beholding to corporations & their interests & views, corrupting education itself. Set federal & state budgets for public education at every level based as a percentage of GDP so that it is free or at least 75% subsidized. Loans, if necessary, at rate banks get.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Education Jan. 9, 2015, 11:04 a.m.

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#1069

146 votes

Reinstitute the draft for all high school graduates to either serve in the military or civilian service for 2 to 3 years. After completion the students will have their college education paid for.

Submitted by Fred P. from VA in Education Nov. 14, 2014, 10:33 p.m.

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#1081

144 votes

Declare a one-time forgiveness of college loan debt just like we did to bailout the big banks and GM. However legislation needs to be passed for 0% loans in the future for students who graduate. In addition, develop some program(s) for those with forgiven debt to provide community or equivalent service as a partial re-payment for eliminating the college loan debt.

Submitted by Jim M. from TX in Education Dec. 11, 2014, 9:32 a.m.

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#1081

144 votes

Allow all payments towards student loan debt to be fully tax deductible.

Submitted by Clifford C. from SC in Education Dec. 11, 2014, 8:38 a.m.

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#1092

142 votes

Expand on the extended day programs for middle & high school students. Why? Many kids do not have a quiet place at home to do work; many need help starting the assignment, teachers can help kids to understand what the assignment is asking for, group projects can be done, and many middle school students are on their own from 2:30-3pm until 5,6 or 7pm & need to be somewhere safe.

Submitted by Nancy W. from MA in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 7:55 p.m.

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#1105

139 votes

In K4 through 3rd grade, have a certified teacher and an aide with no more than 12 students, not an average of 12 students. Only the best teachers should be at this level. If this would happen there would truly be no child left behind because the teachers would have time to assess each child. Having taught at the primary and middle school level for 30 years, I know this would work. Forget all the high priced programs.

Submitted by Mary E. from GA in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 8:55 a.m.

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#1114

137 votes

support all school districts with funds to assure that all children are well fed, and to develop strategies that assure that all children are safe in school and in their community. Vital, if we expect children to learn.

Submitted by Karen/professor/grandparent in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 5:48 p.m.

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#1127

135 votes

FREE higher education tuition to any graduating senior who completes approved community services each semester they are enrolled, as long as they make adequate academic progress. This would include those who want to attend Technology Centers or other specialized approved training. This would free parents from financial burdens and allow all youth who have the initiative, grades, and commitment to community service that opportunity. Other countries do this and it costs each citizen about 5%.

Submitted by OKIE in Education Jan. 4, 2015, 7:59 p.m.

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#1134

134 votes

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