Socialist Party on Education

	Socialist Party on Education Socialist Party Platform

End unpaid internships; allow student workers to unionize

We call for the abolition of unpaid internships throughout all industries, including nonprofit organizations. We call for an end to any academic requirements that force students to work without pay. We call for students &college &university workers, including but not limited to athletes, interns, and graduate students, to unionize within and across their respective departments, and for student athletes to unionize within all athletic divisions. Source: Socialist Party Platform at 2020-2021 PSL Convention , Aug 3, 2020

Forgiveness of all outstanding federal student loans

We demand equal access to higher education for all people and support publicly funded higher education. We call for the forgiveness of all outstanding federal student loans and believe that students should not be saddled with decades of debt simply because they pursue higher education. Source: Socialist Party Platform at 2020-2021 PSL Convention , Aug 3, 2020

Schools should reflect community; students on school boards

We call for affirmative action programs so that the faculty and student-body of all schools reflect the community at large in terms of race/ethnicity, gender, and economic background. We support student, parent, and teacher control of curriculum formation, and in the hiring and dismissal procedures of school personnel. We call for student representation on school boards, and for those boards to be fully accountable to students, parents, teachers, and school workers. Source: Socialist Party Platform at 2020-2021 PSL Convention , Aug 3, 2020

Full and equal funding for public education

The Socialist Party recognizes the right of students of all ages to a free, quality education in a safe and supportive environment, and of all school employees to good wages, benefits, and working conditions

We call for full and equal funding of public education; for the restoration of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, including art, music, world languages, and physical education; for an end to all public funding of private schools; and for free tuition and full-time teachers with full benefits (not "adjuncts") at the post-secondary level.
We oppose merit pay for teachers, standardized testing, competition between schools within the same district, the sale of on-campus advertising in order to raise funds, and the increasing dependence of post-secondary institutions on corporate funding.
We support student, parent, and teacher control of curriculum formation, and in the hiring and dismissal procedures of school personnel, through the formation of local school/community committees.

Source: Socialist Party USA: 2013-2015 National Platform , Nov 4, 2014

Oppose school-sponsored prayer or other religious practices

We support full and unrestricted health education programs, including sex education, with curriculum input from parents, students, teachers, and health care professionals.
We oppose school-sponsored prayer or any other religious practice in public schools, and all efforts to limit the teaching of evolution or to combine it with non-scientific theories.
We call for free and open access to information, including the public ownership of all large databases.

Source: Socialist Party USA: 2013-2015 National Platform , Nov 4, 2014

Too much emphasis on high tech in classrooms

I am concerned about schools' overemphasis on high technology equipment in classrooms. Children are spending too much time on television, play stations, gameboys, internet games, etc. They are becoming dependent on being entertained, as opposed to using time for physical activity, intellectual projects, use of hands and mind, leisure time for imagination, etc. Source: Interview of Socialist nominee Brian Moore with OnTheIssues , Apr 3, 2008

Fully fund libraries & museums to preserve culture

We want to emphasize arts and culture; plus creative use of leisure time. We encourage understanding of heritage programs. We encourage full funding for libraries, cultural centers, school arts programs, museums and historic sites. We call for the preservation of literature, oral traditions & audio & video recordings from people's experiences. We need to advance art centers, independent media, theaters, & festivals to advance cultural endeavors as music, poetry, drama, storytelling, & video Source: Interview of Socialist nominee Brian Moore with OnTheIssues , Apr 3, 2008

Full and equal funding of public education

We call for the full and equal funding of public education; for the restoration of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum, including art, music, world languages, sports programs and physical education. We call for an end to all public funding of private schools. We support local school/community committees and participation of student representation on school boards, and these boards be fully accountable to students, parents, teachers and school workers. Source: Interview of Socialist nominee Brian Moore with OnTheIssues , Apr 3, 2008

Privatizing schools is just to reap profit

The education system is failing. Public schools are being privatized to reap greater profits for owners.

The National Assessment of Education Progress--a body that administers standardized tests to evaluate the country's progress in education--recently said that the NCLB law has hurt education standards. Reading proficiency for eighth-grade African American students has dropped from 13 to 12 percent. Proficiency dropped from 41 to 39% for eighth-grade white students.

Source: Party for Socialism and Liberation website, pslweb.org , Jan 16, 2008

Promote universal access to education

Promote universal access to education on the college and vocational school level.
Promote liberal arts, along with engineering and science, in colleges and universities.
Remove the influence of corporate and military entities on our higher institutes of learning.

Source: Presidential Socialist nominee website, VoteBrianMoore.com , Dec 23, 2007

No public funding of private schools

We call for full and equal funding of public education, for free tuition at the post-secondary level, and for an end to all public funding and subsidizing of private schools. Source: Socialist Party Platform (via 2000 nominee David McReynolds) , Jan 1, 2000

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Page last updated: May 05, 2021