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II. Social Justice
E. Education [with A.8. Youth Rights merged into it]

A democratic government depends on educated citizens. An ignorant public cannot carry the responsibility of government of, by and for the people. Therefore Public education is the backbone of democracy and must be equally available to all Americans from Kindergarten through high school.

1. Education is the function of our schools and Teachers are the essential instrument of education. Teaching is a vocation and a profession and must receive the respect and salary equivalent to related service professions. To qualify to teach should require a B.A. or B.S. degree plus a year of teaching practice and theory course work from an accredited liberal arts college.

2. We recognize that there is no fixed, single mode of teaching in different social settings. At the same time all students have the right to a curricula that prepares them equally to enter society with the learning and information necessary to be productive citizens and to participate in a democratic state.

3. We support learning as lifelong engagement and we believe adult education should be available to all who seek it on a schedule that fits into the standard work week.

4. Public education is the responsibility of state governments. The federal role in education is to set standards that assures a level playing field for all citizens regardless of which state they live in. However, the Federal Act titled “No Child Left Behind” punishes where it should assist and hinders its own declared purpose. It should be repealed or greatly redesigned.

5. In keeping with equal access to equal education, funding formulas must distribute equally to assure the same standards for teacher-per-student ratio, supplies, equipment and resources, including visual arts, music, and athletic programs.

6. We oppose vouchers, or any scheme that will transfer money out of the public school system. We oppose the administration of public schools by private, for-profit entities.

7. We support:
   1. early learning (pre-kindergarten) programs in all schools.
   2. availability of after-school programs, including music, art and dance, in or near the school, for all children.
   3. state funding for day care that includes school children under the age of ten when after-school programs are not available.

8. Greens oppose:
   1. Corporeal punishment called “discipline” either at home or at school, used against youth. Violence begets violence and using violence condones it as part of our prevailing culture and passes it from one generation to the next..
   2. We support inclusion of a non-violent, conflict resolution class in all schools beginning in high school. this course is not an extra - it is basic to the curriculum and may be combined with a social studies class. When a student dispute, during or after class, occurs, a peer mediation should be set up as soon as possible so that students may practice the skill of mediation in conflict resolution. .

9. We encourage state Departments of Education and school boards to include teachers, instructors and teacher assistants when drawing up the curriculum of the schools.

10. In today’s high-tech world, all students from 9th grade on, must have exposure, training and practice on the computer. However, computer and other technical training must never supplant the academic learning and practice that goes on in the classroom guided by the teacher and shared with the other students. Learning at the K-12 level is a communal enterprise and students learn best when the experience is shared with others.

11. We recognize the viable alternative of home-based education.

12. We support bi-lingual education and advocate the teaching of 2 languages in all schools: teach grammar, syntax and writing of the native language and teach grammar, syntax and reading of another language.

13. Corporations have no place in our educational institutions. Schools and school teams must be free from the intrusiveness of commercial advertising. Schools must safeguard students' privacy rights and withhold private student information from corporate interests. In addition, Section 9528 (Armed Forces Recruiter Access to Students and Student Recruiting Information) must be repealed.

14. Equally true in higher education. Academic research must not be controlled by corporations or the US military.

15. We support tuition-free post secondary education in a community college, liberal arts college or vocational training academy. Until our society agrees that these levels of education are a public need and serve a public purpose, we advocate a greatly expanded government loan program, including Americorps for 2 years, to leverage the education of our youth and equip them to enter public life as citizens, not consumers. Government loans for education should be repayable as a proportion of future earnings rather than a fixed rate.