The Big Ideas Project

Teaching aids in every public school classroom through at least grade 5.

Submitted by T H. from TN in Education Nov. 17, 2014, 2:49 p.m.

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#1334

106 votes

The USA Constitution and How to vote, should be mandatory taught in our school.

Submitted by Ryan Bradley in Education Dec. 16, 2014, 2:37 a.m.

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#1342

105 votes

Offer Nonviolent Communication skill training to all public school 5th graders, as well as to parents via PTA groups.

Submitted by Timothy B. from OR in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 2:11 p.m.

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#1354

103 votes

Every State and City Government must be held accountable for providing the same " Quality " of education to Students in Urban School's as is provided in the County School's .Equal Quality education is a Civil Right .

Submitted by Betty M. from MD in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 9:39 p.m.

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#1362

102 votes

Dramatically reduce class size. Increase ratio of teacher assistants, nurses, counselors. Improve supplies, equipment & facilities. Increase pay for teachers & assistants. Full support for Art, Music, & Phys Ed. Add Civics, Anger Management, Problem Solving, Conflict Resolution, Intervention, Home Economics, Personal Finance, etc. How? 5% tax on private school tuition. 5% supplemental income tax for $500K & up. 1% annual wealth tax at $2M; 4% @ $20M; 6% @ $50M; 8% @ $100M. 10% @ $1B.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Education Jan. 13, 2015, 12:13 p.m.

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#1362

102 votes

Public school funding needs to be increased. If we make it clear how much rich people spend on their own children's education, it might help to enrage ordinary Americans about the way their children are being shortchanged. I suggest tying state public school funding to the highest private school tuition in any state, then multiplying that number by a factor of 3 to cover transportation and Special Needs.

Submitted by Gtdread in Education Dec. 11, 2014, 2:11 p.m.

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#1390

97 votes

Improved, affordable (preferably FREE) early childhood, grades K-12 and college education. Our children are America's future!

Submitted by Tigger-Too in Education Dec. 11, 2014, 4:27 p.m.

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#1396

96 votes

Strengthen character education programs in the schools systems.

Submitted by Stephen Crilly in Education Nov. 16, 2014, 5:34 p.m.

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#1402

95 votes

Repeal the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) provisions of the tax code that penalize educators and other public service employees who participate in a government pension program.

Submitted by Chuck Isner in Education Jan. 3, 2015, 7:25 p.m.

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#1402

95 votes

Set a goal that within 20 years all tuition at public universities will be free to any student who qualifies for admission.

Submitted by 20 in 20 in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 4:27 p.m.

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#1412

94 votes

Forgive all student loan debt. In the interim, insure that ALL payments made for repayment get counted regardless to whether they have been made on time, or not. Bail out America.

Submitted by R. Dianne B. from CA in Education Dec. 19, 2014, 7:16 p.m.

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#1426

93 votes

In order to pay off school loan debt you should be able to access funds without having them taxed as income. This can be easily documented, showing how funds were spent.

Submitted by w in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 11:37 a.m.

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#1426

93 votes

Allow all student loan holders to convert to loans at the rate the banks borrow at plus .5%. Allow existing lenders to write-off the lost income on the loan. Allow all new loans at that rate. Reduce the loan principal balances of students who have graduated since 2007 with a 3.0 or higher GPA by 50%, 2.5 or higher by 25%. Allow new graduates going forward to do the same. Prohibit for-profit paper mills from being eligible for gov. student loans/grants.

Submitted by Timothy Salt in Education Dec. 16, 2014, 4:36 p.m.

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#1438

92 votes

Colleges and Universities who take your money, loans, excessive costs should be required to make sure you are employed upon graduation with full time good paying employment so as to be able to pay off your loans, return money to your alma mater and become a stable member of the community, society.

Submitted by Educator - Certified in Elementary 3-6; Secondary 7-12 in Education Dec. 9, 2014, 9:13 p.m.

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#1438

92 votes

Bring back apprenticeship programs, by working with employers and community colleges as well we can re-train those who need to change jobs or be trained to jobs that will employ them. If for example a car company empoyed someone at less than what the licensed auto person would make, while they take classes to learn the trade., They can then help that person learn a trade, if they wanted them to continue working for them they can help with licensing costs when they are ready to work full time.

Submitted by Mollyb in Education Jan. 10, 2015, 3:46 p.m.

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#1438

92 votes

For profit educational institutions should not be allowed to receive money from Student loans. Standards for govt. grants and govt. backed loans should be higher than merely accreditation.

Submitted by squirrelbird in Education Dec. 11, 2014, 11:47 p.m.

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#1447

91 votes

Build more State Universities, and make them free. There's too much profiteering and excessive elitism going on in education. It's bifurcating to a debt scam for the poor, and a finishing school for the rich elite. It's time to revive the idea of a university for the people. Free college for all.

Submitted by wg2001 in Education Jan. 5, 2015, 2:21 a.m.

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#1472

88 votes

Free education should be extended at least 2 years past the 12th grade. This education should be for Technical schooling and or College prep courses. Business Finances and Ethnic and Religious beliefs to better understand the "Real World" conditions.

Submitted by John B. from TX in Education Jan. 4, 2015, 6:49 p.m.

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#1501

84 votes

We have to subsidize teachers' salaries in the public school system to make teaching an attractive (dare I say lucrative) option for well-educated graduates. With that, of course, we will need to ensure public school systems have the ability to let unproductive teachers go so they can hire new talent. This cannot be simply a raise for dead wood: it has to be part of a larger education transformation. If we can blow $5-6 trillion in Iraq, we can surely spare relative change to revive education.

Submitted by Ed Ledford in Education Dec. 10, 2014, 6:31 p.m.

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#1504

83 votes

Support measures that facilitate the desegregation of schools along various socio-economic divides. Such measures include exchange programs between school districts of differing compositions and integrations schemes, like that of Berkley USD, within districts. The resulting benefits include equity in resource provision and opportunity, inclusion of a broader range of content relevant to the varied groups, and tolerance and intercultural competence from exposure to a diverse student body.

Submitted by Edward Cramp in Education Jan. 13, 2015, 3:06 p.m.

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#1516

82 votes

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