Tom Koos is committed to strengthening our public schools to maximize our country's greatest natural resource – the American people. However, right now, six million middle and high school students read at levels significantly below their grade level. A full third of high school graduates do not immediately go on to a community college or university. America now has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the industrialized world. Koos believes that we must equip poor and struggling districts, both rural and urban, with the support and resources they need to provide disadvantaged students with an opportunity to reach their full potential.

Too often, our leaders present this issue as an either-or debate, divided between giving our schools more funding, or demanding more accountability. Koos believes that we have to do both, and has offered innovative ideas to break through the political stalemate in Washington.

PRESCHOOL

Expand Early Childhood Education: Research shows that many low-income children do not enter kindergarten ready to learn. In fact, half of low-income children start school up to two years behind their peers in preschool skills, and these early achievement gaps continue throughout elementary school. Tom Koos supports increasing funding for the Head Start program to provide preschool children with critically important learning skills, and supports the necessary role of parental involvement in the success of Head Start.

ELEMENTARY, MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS

Innovation to Improve Teacher Quality: Successful teachers, and those who take on new responsibilities, such as mentoring new teachers, will be eligible for pay increases beyond their base salary. Dynamic school leadership and quality teaching can improve both the work environment for teachers and the learning opportunities for students. These innovation districts will implement systemic reforms, and show convincing results that can be replicated in other school districts.

Pay Teachers More: Tom Koos wants to make a promise to educators -- if you're a teacher or a principal doing the hard work of educating our children, we will reward that work with the salary increase that you deserve. If you're willing to take on more responsibilities like mentoring, we'll pay you more. And if you excel at helping your students achieve success, your success will be valued and rewarded as well. Koos believes the key is finding new ways to increase pay that are developed with teachers, not imposed on them and not based on some arbitrary test score. Koos will start treating teachers like the professionals they are.

Reform and Fund No Child Left Behind: The goal of the No Child Left Behind Act is the right one – ensuring that all children can meet high standards – but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed. Unfulfilled funding promises, inadequate implementation by the Department of Education, and shortcomings in the design of law itself have limited its effectiveness and undercut its support among many people who care deeply about our schools and our students. Tom Koos would reform and fund No Child Left Behind.

Support Teachers: Tom Koos wants to support teachers at all stages of their careers. This means modifying the certification and teacher preparation process so that, for example, a chemistry major can avoid unnecessary and expensive coursework to become a teacher, and instead learn to teach through proven programs such as teaching residencies that pairs up new recruits with master teachers. It means giving successful teachers more control over what goes on in their classrooms, and more opportunities to advance through career ladders, where teachers may choose to take on additional instructional leadership roles. It also means paying teachers what they're worth, and offering incentives for teachers to enter and remain in the profession.

Improve Testing and Accountability: Tom Koos believes that, before we can hold our teachers and schools accountable, we need to hold our government, parents, and our communities accountable for giving teachers the support that they need. Koos believes that we should work with teachers, states, and school districts to develop more reliable and more useful measures of student learning.

Give More High School Students Access to Rigorous College-level Courses: Students who participate in Advanced Placement (AP) programs, which give students the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school, are much more likely to enroll and be successful in college. While enrollment in AP courses has nearly tripled over the past decade, many students attend schools that do not offer AP classes.

Expand Summer Learning Opportunities: Differences in learning opportunities during the summer contribute to the achievement gaps that separate struggling poor and minority students from their middle-class peers.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Increase Federal College Aid: Across the country, millions of students use Pell Grants to finance their college educations. Two decades ago, the maximum grant covered 55 percent of costs at a public four-year college, compared with only 32 percent today.

Free Up Money for Student Aid and Protect Student Borrowers: Currently, there are two basic college loan programs. The Direct Loan system allows students to borrow from the government through their schools. The Federal Family Education Loan Program instead gives private banks federal subsidies to make government-backed student loans. These privately funded FFEL loans cost about $6 more per $100 loan than loans through the Direct Loan program. Koos would eliminate wasteful subsidies to private student lenders and instead support the federal Direct Loan program, invest the savings in additional student aid, and add greater transparency to the student financial aid process.