Education

All of America's children deserve a world-class public education in schools that are safe, well-staffed and well-equipped. Learning, in fact, should be a lifelong pursuit, starting in early childhood and continuing through college. At every stage, high-quality education must be accessible and affordable for all children, not dependent upon the economic status of their families. Leaders must focus on closing the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged students.

Take a look at the education positions of the 2008 presidential candidates.

Hillary Rodham Clinton (D)

As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and the Subcommittee on Children and Families, Clinton says she was one of the key negotiators of the No Child Left Behind Act. But she charges the Bush administration with failing to provide the resources needed to allow the law to succeed.

At the July 2007 meeting of the National Education Association, Clinton advocated universal pre-kindergarten and improving facilities at public schools.

"Instead of wringing our hands about the achievement gap, let's roll up our sleeves and start doing something to close it once and for all." (MSNBC, 7/3/07)

Clinton has vowed to repeal parts of the No Child Left Behind Act to place more emphasis on learning than on tests, and also pledges to reduce college costs. (Rutland Herald, 2/12/07)

The New York senator says she strongly opposes "voucher schemes that divert precious resources away from financially strapped public schools to private schools that are not subject to the same accountability standards." She does, however, support "education reform within the public school system, such as charter schools and alternative routes to teacher certification" and "proposed legislation, the Investing for Tomorrow's Schools Act, which would create an innovative funding source to help build and expand charter schools."

John McCain (R)

McCain's support of school vouchers, which use public education funds to help families pay for private school tuition, has earned a Club for Growth seal of approval:

John McCain's record on school choice is very good. He has consistently supported school choice programs, voting for a Washington, D.C., school voucher program in 1997 and a trial voucher program in 2001 as an amendment to the No Child Left Behind Act. In 1999, he boldly proposed an amendment to authorize $1.8 billion a year for three years to establish a pilot school voucher program, paid for by the elimination of subsidies for ethanol, oil, gas, and sugar. In a speech two months later, he eloquently argued that "our children deserve the best education we can provide to them, whether that learning takes place in a public, private, or parochial school. It's time to give middle- and lower-income parents the same right wealthier families have—to send their child to the school that best meets their needs."

Barack Obama (D)

A supporter of public education reform, Obama has introduced three education bills in attempts to narrow the education gap for students of color, reward innovative classroom reform and make college more affordable. Additionally, he praises publicly funded programs such as Head Start for early childhood development. (Campaign website)

In a speech to the 2005 graduating class at Knox College, Obama discussed his belief in public education as a societal responsibility and common good:

"It has been the creation of a massive middle class, through decent wages and benefits and public schools—that has allowed all of us to prosper. Our economic dominance has depended on individual initiative and belief in the free market; but it has also depended on our sense of mutual regard for each other, the idea that everybody has a stake in the country, that we're all in it together and everybody's got a shot at opportunity—that has produced our unrivaled political stability." (Knox College commencement, 6/4/05)

At the July 2007 meeting of the National Education Association, Obama endorsed higher teacher salaries and more support for inner-city and rural schools. He also suggested merit pay for teachers.

"The most controversial aspect of any discussion of teacher compensation is merit pay…and I know that folks here object to the idea properly that if you are being measured and paid simply by how the child is doing on a test without taking into account what that child is coming to the school with…if it's all based on assessments made on No Child Left Behind, then it's not fair to pay teachers who are pouring their heart out based on some of these arbitrary measures…What I want to do is work with teachers, and where we can work with teachers to come up with ways to set those kinds of professional standards, then I want to be part of that process. But I'm not going to do it to you; I'm going to do it with you." (MSNBC, 7/5/07)

Ronald Paul (R)

Paul introduced the Family Education Freedom Act, which calls for cutting taxes for education. In his statements to the House of Representatives, Paul compares America’s education system to free market capitalism, advocating a shift in governmental focus away from education.

"The Family Education Freedom Act accomplishes its goals by allowing American parents a tax credit of up to $3,000 for the expenses incurred in sending their child to private, public, parochial, other religious school, or for home schooling their children….Consumer sovereignty simply means consumers decide who succeeds or fails in the market. Businesses that best satisfy consumer demand will be the most successful. Consumer sovereignty is the means by which the free market maximizes human happiness….Today, Congress can fulfill the wishes of the American people for greater control over their children's education by simply allowing parents to keep more of their hard-earned money to spend on education rather than force them to send it to Washington to support education programs reflective only of the values and priorities of Congress and the federal bureaucracy.” (Remarks in the House of Representatives)