His plan does not go far enough.
Davis proposed $1,000 scholarships to every student who scores in the top 10 percent in the state or top five percent of the school in STAR testing - which comes out to approximately 100,000 students.
These scholarships will not better education. It has been proven that test results directly relate to family income. The scholarships will be awarded to students most likely already headed to college.
Davis proposed $11,000 in forgivable student loans to future teachers, $20,000 fellowships for top college students who become teachers, and $10,000 forgivable house down payments for teachers in hard-to-staff schools.
He wants a "first-rate teacher in every classroom."
But what about the students?
He only proposed a per-student funding increase of $274 to just over $6,000. This amount still falls well below the nation-wide average of $6,340. If California were a country, its economy would rank seventh in the world. Our students deserve better.
California should be setting the standard in education, not playing catch-up. California is the home of the Silicon Valley, yet high schools must write a 20-page grant if they want to have the Internet and one decent computer per classroom.
Bribing students to become teachers is not the answer. The average teacher lasts five years before changing professions, and far too many teachers have only emergency credentials because of class-size reduction legislation.
The money needs to be spent on textbooks, computers and other technology, and more classrooms to house the students. Students will not learn no matter how educated the teacher if they do not have the proper resources.
And if the government wants to throw bushels of money at teachers, throw it toward the ones already in the profession. Help teachers get more than emergency credentials. Give teachers who are well educated a reason to not change jobs.
Davis is on the right track by "waging war on mediocrity in schools," but his aim is off. His proposed forgivable loans to teachers will do nothing to better education. One-time money is not enough to convince anyone to become a teacher. It will all end up going to those who were planning on becoming teachers anyway.
That is exactly why resources are so important. Students cannot learn if their government textbooks are over 20 years old. Our students cannot be ahead if the computers they are typing on are so old the district technicians refuse to fix them.
California drives America's economy and pushes the world's technology market. So why are we not investing in our future? The students are the future inventors, the future work force. If our poor education system continues, California will no longer lead. California will begin to play catch-up in the technology field and job market - just like our education system is now.
Davis' plan is a start. But bribing students to become teachers is not the answer. Resources are the answer.