Handel Announces 21st Century Education Plan

Technology in Classrooms, Retaining Best Teachers, Attacking Drop-Out Rate, Flexibility and Choice as Pillars of Reform

Former Secretary of State and candidate for Governor Karen Handel today rolled out her plan for 21st Century education reform in Georgia.

"We must all unite to ensure that every child has access to a high quality education and the opportunity to graduate from high school and be prepared for whatever is next – whether that is college or technical school or another path toward workforce preparedness," Karen said.

The Handel Plan focuses on:

• Creating 21st Century classrooms that leverage technology and partner with community organizations and the private sector to enhance learning
• Recruiting and retaining the best and brightest as teachers by reinstating the Master Teacher Program, recruiting top candidates for teaching positions and rewarding teachers for success.
• Declaring a "state of emergency" on Georgia's drop-out rate using teachers and technology to detect at-risk students and bringing technical college programs into middle schools to provide an alternative path for those students who will not be pursuing a four-year degree path.
• Reforming the system through local flexibility and choice.
• Creating a 21st Century workforce
• Using transparency and cost savings to focus educational dollars on classroom education
• Creating a new funding model for education in Georgia

"Education will be a top priority as Governor," Karen said today. "We will fix education in Georgia in a way that will become a model for other states and our children top competitors in the 21st Century economy."

Handel has previously released detailed plans on ethics reform, job creation and economic expansion and permanently cutting the state workforce. Learn more at www.karenhandel.com

A PDF copy of Karen's plan can be found here.