Obama's education plan

So how could teachers do that without infringing on the student's rights?

I did not say whip them.

Neither did I. There is much more than just physical abuse that could be applied in this situation. :)

Though seriously, I believe that parents should try to discipline their kids better. not the teachers. They have no moral obligation to care for the ones that they teach.
Besides, can't it be argued that bad teaching is also a reason for why kids may not be able to keep up with up with the curriculum?

Ok firstly I think I should mention that I am British and thus Obama's proposal is a foreign issue so to speak.

Firstly I see your school year is 180 days long or 36 weeks. This leaves you a 16 weeks holiday over each year. Or a third of the year. To compare the Uk has roughly 12 weeks a year. Or a month less then you. Now our education system is as lacklustre as yours, so in a way I believe that while a shorter holiday would be conducive to learning, that is not the key issue.

Standardised testing is like taxes, a necessay evil that supports the system. Any other method would rely on an individual teachers opinon and would therefore be flawed due to human nature. Yet I think that clubs should most certainley be encouraged, because it is our passions and hobbies that define our interests and thus help show us what we are good at. For those not familar with europe (Many I assume) if you wish to look at a good education sytem look no further then Holland. Any system that produces multi-lingual students proficient/fluent in at least three languages is a worthy gague of a working education system.

Thoughts?

S. testing is a necessary evil because of the reasons that you yourself mentioned. Though do you honestly believe that it is a good thing that so much is focused on them? Lets look at the SATs for instance. That grade weighs heavily on the minds of college recruitment offices. After that comes the person's gpa)grade point average) and after that their college essay. Usually the majority of the attention are centered around the SAT scores and the person's gpa. Nowadays, what a person gets on a standardized test (ie: regents, APs, general state exams) can weigh as much as 20% of a persons grade. Looking back at that, do you really believe that S. tests are that necessary?

Edit: I just looked up Hollands educational system an it looks pretty sexy, especially when it comes to accepting foreign students.

Fair point, but yes they are neccesary because there are no more feasible alternatives to Standardised testing. I DO belive that the format of standardised testing should be more flexible and that the schools opinon of the student should be taken in to account in lieu of the individuals capability.

In short anyway :p

I agree with that. The fact of the matter is that the school system is in need of a lot of work which the states aren't willing to do. Obama just wants to make things simpler to just extend school hours as opposed to solving teaching and general funding issues.