Candidate for
State Senator; District 39

Judge Larry Stirling's "10-Point Plan for Educational Excellence"

1 Reading must be the #1 priority of every teacher and administrator, not just the "reading specialist." Remedial English for California State University freshman should be the exception, not the rule. 2 Make use of emerging technologies to end the lock-step, one-size-fits-all approach. Tailor education to the individual student. 3 Break the budget-busting textbook monopoly which locks our kids into quickly-outdated books. Open the education market to flexible, easily-upgradeable software and Internet solutions. 4 Quality education begins with quality teachers. Reward teachers who do an outstanding job. Repeal the Fisher Act which requires teachers to have five years of college before being allowed to teach in California schools. Hire based on demonstrated competence, not on the basis of having survived five years of college. 5 Scrap the seven-volume Education Code and replace it with a streamlined state legislative framework. Return more power to local schools to make decisions about how they will achieve the educational goals of the state, and the expectations of their students and parents. 6 Dump the seriously-flawed Stanford 9 test. It's an off-the-shelf test published by a Massachusetts-based multinational corporation - a test which is not aligned with the curriculum actually taught in California. Replace it with an independently administered "California Regents' Examination" that directly reflects the educational goals and curriculum of Californians. 7 Increase educational choice and innovation by fostering the formation of Charter Schools. 8 Strive to provide every child with a computer upon entering the 6th grade. 9 Award "need" scholarships to parents who can show that (a) their neighborhood school is performing below statewide test averages, or (b) that their child has special needs to be met, or (c) talents to fulfilled. The parents would use the scholarships to send their children to a school of their choice that will allow their child to fulfill his or her potential. 10 Develop and implement a range of innovative strategies for engaging and integrating parents into the process of educating their children, welcoming parents into the classroom literally and figuratively, and empowering them to be home-based coaches for their children.