The American education system has erected systemic barriers to equal opportunity based primarily upon our zip code and the color of our skin. Our predatory system of student loan funding has created an environment where the cost of a degree has exploded at the same rate at which the value of a degree has eroded. The attainment of a college education should not consign us to a lifetime of inescapable debt.

• Solution(s)

  • Remove barriers to access to a quality public education

    • Free, universal pre-school education

    • Invest in secondary training and school-to-work or apprenticeship programs for trade professions.

    • Create a free, national online university.

  • Create a choice-driven public-school system

    • Create pilot schools that safely experiment with innovative curriculum and educational delivery systems.

    • Allow parents greater flexibility to use their per pupil expenditure to create access to desired educational options.

  • Elevate and reinvigorate the teaching profession

    • Set a national minimum wage for teachers.

    • Forgive student loan debt commensurate with classroom service.

    • Incentivize participation of minorities and men in the teaching profession at all levels of schooling and types of curriculum.

  • Permanently address the student loan debt crisis

    • Provide borrowers with greater choice in selecting their loan servicer.

    • Include student loan debt forgiveness in bankruptcy.

    • Prevent the federal government from charging interest on student loans.

    • Quality all student loan plans for income-driven repayment.

    • Allow employers to help in student loan repayment as part of competitive benefits packages.