Joe's Plan for Education

My education plan will ensure that our tax dollars are spent with one goal in mind: to give our children get excellence in the classroom.

1. Excellent teachers

Next to parents, teachers are the most influential people in a child's life.  Teaching our children cannot be a 'fall-back career.' Teachers change lives.

"We must work to retain and support our excellent teachers, while recruiting the excellent teachers of tomorrow."

My program, Teach for Alabama, will offer scholarships to students to our state universities so they can become the educators of tomorrow in exchange for a commitment to teach in Alabama schools.  Keeping our best and brightest here at home to teach the next generation is greatest gift we can give our children.

2. Excellent schools

"Our schools need to be modeled on innovative schools that produce excellent students."

Here, in Montgomery, our county Magnet schools consistently graduate some of the top students in Montgomery, and one of our Magnet schools is ranked in the top 5 schools in the U.S. 

We need a state-wide Magnet school program that will help all our communities offer the innovation and flexibility we offer have in our magnet schools here in Montgomery.  Such a program would help us raise the quality of all our schools in Alabama and this community.

3. Tools for excellence

If we want to see returns on our investments in education, we must give our children the tools for success in the classroom.  Excellent teachers and excellent schools are important, and

"our children must also have the right tools in place to ensure that they are prepared for school and are always reaching their highest potential."

A state-wide Pre-K program is critical to ensuring that our children have the most stable foundation for their education, and we must continue to support effective programs like the Alabama Reading Initiative and the Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative.

Read about Joe's Plan for Jobs
Read about Joe's Plan for Ethics Reform