Since Biden has been elected as President, there is now an educator in the White House, Dr. Jill Biden as the first lady of the United States. Dr. Biden has worked as an educator for more than 30 years, and she and her husband have been advocates for education.

On the Biden campaign website, there is a layout for “The Biden Plan For Educators, Students, And Our Future”, which is Biden’s detailed and lengthy plans for education. 

One of the concerns that Biden wants to address regarding education is the support that is given to the educators of the US. This entails many things, from making sure that teachers are paid a competitive salary along with those benefits, as well as investing in teacher mentoring, leadership and additional education to help them advance in their careers.

The plan also includes helping teachers pay off their student loans, changing the existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program so that it is actually beneficial for teachers.

There are also resources that Biden wants to provide for the students, including doubling the number of health professionals in schools. 

The website states, “One in five children in the U.S. experience mental health problems. Yet, too many of our children are not getting the mental health care they need from a trained professional.”

There is a disparity between the amount of mental health care professionals in schools, which teachers then have to fill. Biden also wants to focus funding into the model of community schools, which work with families to fill their unfinished needs. This would support around 300,000 students.

Additional funding would be used to make schools a safe environment for working and learning. 

According to the site “Public school facilities received a grade of D+ from the American Society of Civil Engineers. In fact, each year the U.S. underfunds school infrastructure by $46 billion, resulting in thousands of schools that are outdated, unsafe, unfit, and – in some cases – making kids and educators sick.” 

The money would be used to address health risks, then additionally to innovate schools with technology to prepare students for future jobs.

Gun control is also an issue that Biden addresses, more rational gun laws and background checks are needed to ensure that guns aren’t put into dangerous hands. He also intends to invest in health services for those who were impacted by gun violence.

Finally, the Biden Administration intends to invest in all children so that regardless of race, income, disability or zip code, students will be prepared to succeed.

“Roughly 6 out of 10 jobs in the United States require education beyond a high school diploma. And, too many parents don’t have access to the resources and support they need to support and ensure their children are developing healthily,” according to Biden’s plan site.

However, these plans may be pushed aside to focus more on the current problem at hand: the COVID-19 pandemic. Biden’s plans have prioritized schools reopening safely, which only adds to the already hefty spending of his education plan. 

For more information and more depth regarding Biden´s education plan as well as other plans under the Biden administration, visit the Joe Biden website.