http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wamc/local-wamc-791211.mp3
Albany, NY – PRESIDENT-ELECT BARACK OBAMA'S EDUCATION AGENDA -
President-elect, Barack Obama, absolutely faces enormous challenges when he takes over next month. He'll have to deal with major issues that helped put him into office, like the economy and the housing crisis.
Overlooked, because of so many of these other major areas of concern, is the fact that our new commander in chief could also be referred to as our new Professor-in-Chief. This was highlighted in a recent article in "The Chronicle of Higher Education."
It appears this is the first time in history that the president, vice-president, and both their spouses have ALL worked in higher education.
But despite his academic background, Mr. Obama did not focus much on higher education during his campaign. However, the President of the Association of American Universities said Obama's victory "bodes well for education in general and for higher education."
A Professor of Public Policy at George Mason University and former Assistant Secretary of Education under President Clinton says he doesn't "see Obama being interested in trying to manage universities." An obvious reference to intentions by the Bush administration.
Our 44th President, Barack Obama, will now have the opportunity to move forward on the broad pre-K thru 12 education agenda he campaigned on. Mr. Obama said he would: expand federal preschool programs; "recruit and army of new teachers"; and provide scholarships to college students and to professionals from other fields who promise to pursue careers in teaching. The president-elect also has said he would: work to change the No Child Left Behind Act, building on the federal law's accountability measures designed to improve student achievement; and would double federal funding for charter schools
With the economy in trouble and financial markets still uncertain, Mr. Obama's new secretary of education may find it difficult garnering support for such an ambitious education agenda.
But we know from the campaign that the president-elect considers education important for improving long-term economic problems. In a late presidential debate, Mr. Obama rated education as a priority equal to health care, reforming entitlement programs, and developing new forms of energy.
Likely the first education issue the new administration and Congress will have to tackle is the long overdue reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Law. We'll keep a close watch on that in 2009.
Glenn Busby reports. (3:00)
CIVICS MOSAIC, Phase Two
POLITICAL ISSUES FACING OUR WORLD -
Though President-elect, Barack Obama, taught constitutional law for many years at the University of Chicago Law School, right now he's cramming for the biggest test of his career. He'll be expected to interact with other countries on day one in the White House. But how is the civics literacy of other countries? What is their definition of democracy?
That's been the subject of a multi-year, multi-million dollar grant given by the U.S. Department of Education to the Sage Colleges in New York.
The grant, "Civics Mosaic", came in two phases. We reported about the first phase last week called, "Political Ideas That Have Shaped History." You can hear that online at wamc.org. It's show # 950.
This week, Phase Two, "Political Issues Facing Our World", takes the Russian teacher exchange program to a higher level of involvement and expands the program to include five Eurasian countries from Bulgaria to Mongolia.
TBOOK speaks with grant administrator, Dr. Stephen Schechter, who is a Professor of History and Government at Russell Sage College in Troy, New York. Dr. Schechter has participated in education exchange programs for 40-years, including being part of an elite team which traveled to Iraq in 2004 to work with the Iraqi Ministry of Education on the needs of that country for civic education to foster democracy.
Dr. Schechter Co-directs with the American Federation of Teachers "Civitas-Russia", which has grown over the past decade to become the largest umbrella organization in Russia for civic education. It has programs in over 60 of Russia's 88 regions.
And in conjunction with this grant, Schechter has co-authored a book titled, "Exploring Political Ideas", published by CQ Press which has a February 20, 2009 release date.
Glenn Busby reports. (10:42)
COLLEGE MASSACRE IN FINLAND KILLS ELEVEN -
In education related news from around the globe, the Finnish government has promised a change in that country's gun laws after eleven fatalities in a shooting spree in one of their college towns. The 22-year old student shot nine fellow students to death, and one teacher, before turning the gun on himself.
Ironically, the student was questioned by police the day before the shootings, prompted by violent YouTube postings showing him firing a pistol like the one actually used in the murders. But no further steps were thought necessary, and nothing else could be done legally at that time.
These murders come less than a year after a high school shooting left eight others dead. Finland has the third highest level of gun ownership in the world, right behind the United States. The Finnish Prime Minister believes there's an urgent need to review Finland's liberal gun laws. But similar pronouncements were made by the government after previous shootings. The minimum age for buying a gun in Finland is 15. So a reporter asked the spokeswoman from a pro-reform Finnish human rights group if she thinks anything will change this time?.
Aira Vehaskari reports. (1:37)
UNIVERSITY BOMBING IN SPAIN INJURES HUNDREDS -
Meanwhile in Spain, the University of Navarra in Pamplona was the target of a car bomb. Hospital officials now say 27 people suffered injuries from the explosion, and another 200 or more were treated for respiratory trouble from inhaling gases after the blast.
The University of Navarra enrolls at least 12,000 students, including more than 1,000 from countries outside of Spain, including the United States.
Danny Wood reports. (2:06)