What's your top priority for education stimulus spending?

i would direct some to renovate some old schools, & some to add classes for kids with special needs & classes for talented kids to discover the unique person inside each one

The money should be directly handed to classroom teachers.
K - 8 Tech Ed Teacher

Children need to be our utmost urgent priority.

When money is spent to reduce class and school size, kids do not feel like a number, teachers can be more creative and resourceful. Spend money on this instead of expensive tests (that limit time for real learning) that were lobbied for by the testing companies.....! Lowering sizes means that no one can hide and everyone can help....teachers and students and be held accountable more easily for standards that were set. Also, when kids are not lost in a larger system or classroom you are less likely to need so many people in support or security or guidance systems and can save some money that way.

You have said it all! Lower class size! Absolutely.

Kids need the discipline they obvioulsy lack at home. School uniforms may help in this area, so I would be willing to help purchase a uniform for each family. That may help stop the gangs in schools, and the bad attitude. You may wonder how, but I worked at a private school and that school had wonderful kids! I would like to see schools develop vocational activities starting in 6th grade. Higher education is not for everyone.

don't have to read a study, just need to be observant. My kids, their friends...they simply do better, get more attention and direction, remain at attention, etc....when the classroom is smaller.

Every study that I have seen on the subject of class size says smaller is better. Yet, we build schools and classrooms ever larger. Even the most well educated - best practice inundated teachers can't do a whole lot with 35 kids in a room. Use the money to make class sizes smaller.

As for the union first kids last stance, that's a bunch of hooey. I firmly believe that the VAST majority of educators stay in the field because they put kids first and care about their student's success. As for comparing our schools to other countries - go ahead, but keep in mind that there are a whole lot of variables other than the schools themselves.

In American Government Public Education there is a perverse
incentive which rewards failure! The most expensive
Government Schools---DC, Milwaukee, NYC, Detroit, etc...---
have high teacher salaries, high drop out rates,
high rates of violence, etc...and each year these
failing school systems beg for mo money.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Finland spend about 30%
less than the US Average; but, their schools are
world's best