Election '08
Oct 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Mike Kennedy
Candidates stake out positions on improving schools, but other issues take precedence.
Every four years, the presidential election campaign unfolds, and the position of the candidates on education is predictable: They are in favor of it.
Something else is easy to predict: In every presidential campaign, hot-button issues — some important and some infuriatingly not — suck up most of the oxygen, and the hoped-for focus on education withers and dies.
In 2008, Republican nominee John McCain and Democratic nominee Barack Obama have laid out their positions for improving America's education system; but with the nation at war, fuel prices climbing and financial institutions collapsing, subjects such as early-childhood education or charter schools don't seem as urgent.
That hasn't stopped education advocates from working to bring greater attention to what they see as the critical need to improve the U.S. education system (see sidebar, p. 20). But it's unlikely that the education platforms of either major candidate will be a deciding factor in November balloting.
Still, it's important for school and university administrators to be aware of how Obama and McCain view the education system and how they hope to improve it. Before President George W. Bush led the push for the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act, the generalization had been that Democrats favor more federal involvement in education and Republicans back a more hands-off approach. Now that the NCLB reform law has fallen into disfavor among many educators and politicians (see sidebar, p. 22), the proposals of this year's presidential candidates reflect the previous party orthodoxy. McCain's education platform contains few specific proposals and more statement of philosophy, specifically about giving parents more choices; Obama's campaign proposes more programs and explains them in more detail.
Choice and empowerment
McCain, in his education policy statement, asserts that his plan “removes needless bureaucracy, empowers parents, teachers and principals, and ensures that every child has the opportunity to gain from a quality education.”
“John McCain believes our schools can and should compete to be the most innovative, flexible and student-centered — not safe havens for the uninspired and unaccountable,” his policy statement says.
Some specifics:
- Choice
“Parents should be empowered with school choice to send their children to the school that can best educate them,” the campaign asserts.
- Better teachers
“The single biggest challenge in turning around a failing school is getting quality teachers into that school,” the campaign states. To attract and develop high-quality teachers, McCain would encourage alternative certification programs; provide bonuses for teachers who work in underperforming schools; and provide funding for teacher development “to perform in today's technology-driven environment.”
- Empowered principals
McCain wants principals to be given greater control over their school budgets. “The money must be controlled by the leader we hold accountable: the school principal with a single criterion — to raise student achievement.”
- Expand the voucher program in Washington, D.C.
The program provides funds that enable about 1,900 students in the nation's capital to attend private schools. McCain would increase the $13 million-a-year funding to $20 million, which he says would benefit about 1,000 additional students.
- Tutors
Students struggling to meet their state standards would be given immediate access to high-quality tutoring programs, certified either by a local district or by the federal government.
- Online programs
McCain wants to spend $500 million to create new virtual schools and support the development of online courses. He also would allocate $250 million for grants that states would use to create virtual math and science academies.
In higher education, McCain calls for more innovation and a removal of regulatory barriers. He says he would simplify tax benefits as well as federal financial-aid programs. “Consolidating programs will help simplify the administration of these programs and help more students have a better understanding of their eligibility for aid,” the education policy statement says.
McCain also calls for making it easier for students and their families to get more information about schools and higher education. “Making this information available to families in a clear and concise manner will help more students make more informed choices about higher education,” the campaign says.
In early-childhood education, McCain seeks improvements in the Head Start program. Many Head Start centers, he believes, “have fallen prey to the same institutional flaws that have undermined the larger public education system — they lack quality instructors; they lack accountability to parents; and they are focused on process, not outcomes.”
The Republican wants to identify at least one successful Head Start program in every state and designate these as Centers for Excellence in Head Start. They would receive federal funding to expand their programs and disseminate their best practices to other Head Start programs.
The McCain campaign also calls for early-education programs to adhere to “meaningful, measurable standards designed to determine that students are ready for school.”
Focusing on what works
Obama's campaign estimates that his proposals for early education and K-12 schools would cost about $18 billion, and he hopes to pay for the changes by cutting wasteful federal spending. The Democratic candidate says he wants to identify programs that work and replicate them.
“We're not going to solve our education problems just by throwing money at them,” the policy states. “We have to make smart investments in innovating long-term solutions and developing a deep knowledge of what works.”
Some specifics:
- Teachers
Obama seeks to improve schools' efforts in recruiting, preparing, retaining and rewarding teachers. The efforts would include more scholarships to help attract and train teachers; improvements in teacher education; mentoring for beginning teachers; incentives for schools that enable teachers to have shared planning time and collaborate with their colleagues; and salary incentives “for demonstrated knowledge, skill and expertise.”
- Principals
The Democratic candidate wants to establish state leadership academies “to enable principals to develop the sophisticated skills they need.” Obama also would provide states with funds to provide principals with ongoing professional development training.
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