The Presidential Hopefuls on Education
Printer
Friendly Formats
Although
education has not been a prominent issue in a Presidential campaign dominated
by personalities, foreign policy, and the economy, our next President will face
significant challenges in the area of federal education policy. This is particularly true since the No Child
Left Behind Act will probably be up for reauthorization during the next
administration’s first months in office.
In order to better understand the candidates’ views on education, From
the Board Room examined the recent public comments and campaign platforms
of all three remaining candidates.
Sen.
Hillary Clinton
Senator
Hillary Clinton, Democrat of New York, and her rival, Senator Barack Obama,
have expressed more similarities than differences in their views of education
policy, although they tend to place emphasis on different points. Clinton proposes voluntary, universal access
to pre-school for four year olds, and favors reforming the No Child Left Behind
Act (NCLB). The 2nd largest teacher’s union, the American
Federation of Teachers, has endorsed Clinton.
The largest union, the National Education Association, has not yet
endorsed any candidate.
Perhaps her
most specific proposal is to commit $5 to $10 billion dollars of federal
funding for universal pre-kindergarten access for four-year olds. Clinton has indicated she would encourage
states to develop high quality pre-kindergarten programs that are universally
accessible to four-year olds and free to low-income or limited-English households. States that begin programs that meet these
requirements would be eligible for a dollar-for-dollar funding match from the
federal government.
Clinton also
supports expanding several federally funded education and job-training
programs. These include the 21st Century Learning Centers after-school program,
Headstart for pre-kindergarten children, and Americore and Job Corps for young
adults, among others. She also supports
increased funding for mentoring programs that target at-risk youth.
In addition,
Clinton wants to expand federal funding for higher education. She has proposed $500 million in new funding
for community colleges. To defray a
portion of the cost of attending college, she would also institute a new $3,500
federal income tax reduction for college students and increase the maximum Pell
grant.
Clinton is a
consistent opponent of school vouchers and merit pay for teachers. She did express some interest in a proposal
that would reward all teachers in a district with a bonus if their students’
assessment scores increased in the aggregate.
Her advisors have indicated she would support increased pay for teachers
who work in schools or subject areas that are experiencing staffing
shortages. She also supports limited use
of public funds for some charter schools.
Senator Clinton
voted in favor of NCLB in 2001 but more recently she has criticized several
aspects of the law. Speaking before a
teacher’s convention in Washington, D.C. she said, “We do need accountability.
But not the kind of accountability that the NCLB law has imposed on people. Not
only has it been funded at less than has been promised, it’s been administered
with a heavy and arbitrary hand.” She
added, “The tests have become the curriculum instead of the other way around.”
Clinton has suggested that NCLB be revised to include more measures that would
used to determine a school’s success or failure, and to provide “individualized
accountability” for each student. In
other words, Clinton would like to see NCLB compare the achievement of a given
student over time (this technique is known as the “growth model”). Clinton has been more vocal in her criticism
of NCLB than the other candidates.
Sen.
John McCain
Senator John
McCain, Republican of Arizona, has a commanding lead of pledged Republican
delegates and will be his party’s nominee for President. Like the other candidates, education has not
been a central issue in McCain’s speeches or campaign platform. Analyses of his voting record and his
available public comments on education do give clues as to how McCain might
manage education policy if elected.
Throughout his time in the Senate, McCain has been a consistent, strong
supporter of school vouchers and public school choice.
He has made
his commitment to school choice very clear on his campaign website, in
speeches, and in legislation he has introduced and supported in Congress. McCain believes that allowing parents to
choose their students’ schools, and allowing public funding to follow the
student, will increase accountability for districts and improve student
outcomes. He also supports home
schooling and charter schools as additional choices for public education.
In the run-up
to the 2000 election, before the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) was
introduced, McCain voiced the opinion that states should set their own
educational standards, rather than the federal government. He did vote in favor of NCLB in 2001 and has
since supported the law, although he also favors limited reforms. At a campaign event in New Hampshire last
November, McCain said, “No Child Left Behind was a good beginning, in my
view. We now, after a number of years of
examination and practice with it, know there’s some things that badly need
fixing.” He went on to say that NCLB is
too rigid in its testing requirements for English-language learners and
students with disabilities.
Senator
McCain has expressed support for merit pay for teachers, and federal funding
for abstinence education. He has also
voted in favor of additional federal funding for special education.
Sen.
Barack Obama
Senator
Barack Obama, Democrat of Illinois, is seeking the Democratic Presidential
nomination. His positions on education
issues are much more closely aligned with Senator Clinton than Senator McCain. During the campaign, Obama has emphasized his
support for increased teacher pay and training as his top educational
priority. He appears to support
increased federal funding for education in general. Obama surprised many observers when he
admitted he might support a school voucher system if a comprehensive
longitudinal study demonstrated positive results for students, but he also
emphasized that, until that happens, he will remain an opponent and skeptic of
school voucher programs.
Obama made
his voucher remarks in a meeting with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s
editorial board in February, and Senator Clinton was quick to voice unwavering
opposition to school vouchers in her meeting with the board the following
day. Obama does support charter schools,
and he introduced a bill into the Senate in 2006 that would have created 20
“innovation districts” nationwide. This
bill would have competitively granted additional resources to 20 districts with
the best plans to improve student achievement and hire and retain well-qualified
teachers. The evidence suggests that as
President, Obama would favor increased federal funding for education,
particularly programs that improve student achievement through innovative use
of financial resources.
Obama’s
official campaign platform includes additional funding for pre-kindergarten
programs and after-school programs. He
would offer funding to middle level schools for early dropout prevention
services. Obama would also favor
simplifying the college aid application process, and the creation of an income
tax reduction credit of $4000 for college students, similar to what Senator
Clinton has proposed.
Obama would
create a scholarship for prospective teachers who commit to teaching in
underserved areas or subjects upon graduation.
He also supports increasing teacher pay, particularly for math and
science teachers and those serving in rural and inner-city districts. He also supports programs that reward
experienced teachers who mentor those new to the profession, and programs that
reward teachers whose students show comprehensive achievement gains.
Unlike the
other candidates, Senator Obama was not in Congress when NCLB was first
approved in 2001 so he has no voting record on the law. He has said the goal of NCLB is a good one
but that the persistent under funding and shortcomings in the law’s design have
caused it to punish rather than support failing schools. Like Senator Clinton, Obama favors reforming
NCLB so that it tracks individual student’s achievement (the “growth model”)
rather than comparing grade-levels across time.