Guided by the philosophy that a better-educated population will lead to better job opportunities and long-term economic recovery, President Obama recently unveiled a proposed education package that focuses on community colleges, with a sizable chunk devoted to free access to online education.

(more…)

Some are already speculating that President-elect Barack Obama might become the elusive “education president,” judging from a pre-election education plan that earned him the endorsements of both the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Federation of Teachers (AFT). While it’s too early to tell anything yet, his early choice of advisers gives an indication that education is still on his list of priorities.

Among the group are Christopher Edley, Jr., dean of the law school at UC-Berkeley and a former professor at Harvard Law School, and Janet Napolitano, the current Arizona governor who’s made education a priority in her administration. Even Obama’s newly appointed Chief of Staff, Rep. Rahm Emanuel, this year introduced a bill to boost the option of charter schools, a measure that Obama also supports. (more…)