Summary
A recent Time Magazine issue on education includes a piece on issues related to this field and each candidate’s plan for curing problems in schools. Four candidates were profiled, and a snapshot of their stance on four issues was provided, including: No Child Left Behind, Vouchers, Merit Pay, and Longer School Day or Year.
Focus Question: Review each candidate’s perspective on each issue, and decide who would be the “education president”. Once you make your decision, support your position with information from the candidate’s website about education and the issues posed in the Time article.
10 responses so far ↓
Bill G // March 10, 2008 at 1:52 am |
Great question…I wonder about this as it will affect us all very much. I have little faith that either McCain or Clinton have the werewithal to be a real advocate for improving education. They tend to be reductionist about how to improve schools (raise standards, give tests, etc.). McCain is also in cahoots with conservatives now, which will make the likelihood of change even more remote in the current NCLB test-obsessed environment. My guess is they are actually attempting to permanently undermine public education rather than really improving, a type of ’starve the beast’ policy that could undo the system. Obama at least claims to be a bit more in line with my way of thinking about education as he is less reductionist when it comes to assessment and has a greater sense of the complexity of learning/teaching and schools. But, given the incredibly difficult agenda that any of them will face with two wars, climate change, and healthcare, I think education is destined to be a backburner issue in the next term (*perhaps not a bad thing as federal attention has only led to a narrowing of public spirited education).
Will H // March 17, 2008 at 12:27 am |
I feel that I have to agree with Bill G here. Lets think about the current state of affairs in America and the world. What I feel is first and foremost, is the situation in the Middle East. We are still fighting a war in Iraq that has taken far longer than anyone thought it would. Most people are upset with it and want our troops out. There are terrorist groups like Al Qaeda still prevalent in that part of the world. The war between the Sunis and the Shites (not sure if i spelled those right) still carry on. It is thought by some that the only reason we are there is for oil. The be frank, it is a mess.
Then there is the situation back home. Now that we are “offically” in a recession, we must find a way to get out. Now i know that these happen because of the cycle of economics, but it is still a problem. There are many other issues such as abortion, health care, and immigration laws that dominate the news.
Now with all this going on, is there truly a President for education? The future President, be it Clinton, Obama, or McCain, will have their hands full with plenty of other things. I just don’t think that education can be taken care of with all this happening in the world.
Colleen H // March 18, 2008 at 4:14 am |
I agree with what Bill and Will have said about there not really being an “education president” in this election, since it does not nessecarily seem to be one of the forefront issues of the campain. However, I believe that the candidate with the best education policy is Barack Obama. He seems to have the most innovative ideas on how to reform education. I especially like the fact that he wants to work towards getting away from the system of schools and students being judged primarly by standardized testing. His desire to abandon the failing NCLB act and more towards helping schools that are in trouble rather than condemning them seems like an interesting solution. McCain’s support of NCLB and support of vouchers show a disregard to those who are in suffering school districts, which is obviously a problem. I agree with Bill that Clinton does not nessecarily seem to have a strong plan that would create change–she does not support the current system but does not show any alternatives. Overall, Obama seems to have put the most effort and thought into creating an education plan that will bring about change.
AndrewK // March 18, 2008 at 5:04 pm |
I agree that Obama is going to be the education president. People want change, though I may not agree with the change they want, Obama promises to give it. People don’t only want a change on the way politicians are dealing with situations, but also the situations that are at the forfront. People are tired of the Middle East and the troublesome economy, they want better education, health care things that have no been a priority of the administrations in the past. Obama’s tuition grants to students in college (4000 dollars) will be a major step for the improvement on education in this country. Focus in the past (Bush administration) has been placed on high school, and middle schools, but it is the higher educations that really add to America being where it is in the world. The high school diplomas dont make United States one of the most powerful countries in the world, its the MDs, PHDs, and MBAs that do. So the more people the country can get into colleges and graduate schools the more our country will control the specialized economies (and more money that will be made off other countries and taxed).
08lgattozzi // March 18, 2008 at 7:22 pm |
In my opinion, everyone who has posted so far has made some important points when discussing who would be the best education president. Along with Colleen, I do feel that education will not be focused on as much in this election. Certainly, the education of American’s is important, but issues involving the war in Iraq and our economy are much more serious at this time. Barack Obama does seem to have a plan for our future concerning educucation, however I also trust Hilary. Concerning NCLB, i believe Clinton improved many schools across the country successfully, so there is no doubt in my mind that she will continue to work hard, making sure the learning environment for children is fair and comfortable.
08cbifani // March 19, 2008 at 1:40 pm |
I agree with Will that there are many other serious issues in the country that are taking educations place. However, if I had to choose one candidate to be the “education President,” I would have to choose Hilary Clinton. She has already improved education in Arkansas because teacher salaries doubled, class size fell significantly, learning standards and assessments were implemented, and students were given much greater access to higher-level science and foreign-language courses. Her plan now is to improve our schools and end “No Child Left Behind.” She also wants to create “Green Schools” to reduce energy costs and eliminate environmental hazards. Clinton wants to create a new create a new $3,500 college tax credit and increase the maximum Pell Grant. If Hillary were elected President, I am fully confident that she will improve education across the nation since she has been successful with education in the past.
musikmajor22 // April 4, 2008 at 12:57 am |
I believe that the previous people who have responded so far have made valid points. America is suffering, and not just suffering from archaic education practices, but from a constant state of war, social discontent, and a failing economy. Will makes a valid point, there is no “education president”, there are simply presidential candidates who have stances on issues, some just as education, do not gain enough public response for popular Political Coverage Channels. Americans today are far more concerned with the economy then they concerning education and the future of education in this country.
Truthfully, despite my own political beliefs, Hilary Clinton seems to have the most complete stance on education, even though her stance calls for an entirely new approach to education. Her position also seems to correspond with the general population, or at least the population who notice that education should be a facet of the upcoming Presidential Election. What I find most interesting about her stance on education is her focus on the creation of green schools, as Courtney mentioned. Her idea would not only improve education, since schools are always necessary, but also take a stance on Global Warming, a problem which I personally find quite daunting.
Another stance of Hilary’s that I personally support is her insistence for Universal Pre-K. I am a firm believer that the fundamental education that happens during that crucial time for children will shape their future.
I would even go so far as to say, if there were such thing as ‘education president’ in this race, Hilary Clinton may fit the bill.
Bridget C. // April 4, 2008 at 1:39 am |
As most people have said, education does not seem to be at the forefront of this election. It seems that Clinton has the most ideas concerning education. Obama and McCain have general ideas about what they will do with education, but Clinton devotes a lot of time and energy into improving education. Although I don’t agree with them, she has very specific ideas about NCLB and how she would run it much more effectively than Bush has because she would provide schools with the proper funding that they need.
Gerry Castro // April 4, 2008 at 2:03 am |
Honestly, while education is important I feel that it is simply a non-issue in this election. I would much rather know my country is safe with a stable and growing economy than to find out that I get an additional 3,500 grant for college. Obama however provide the most applicable and enticing proposition for higher learning aid. He proposes providing financial aid for college education in exchange for students participating in community service. This plan I find highly implementable and feasible, unlike other socialist plans drawn up by Billary.
Alec J. // April 7, 2008 at 1:26 am |
The funny thing is that the candidates pride themselves on saying things like “WE MUST REFORM NCLB” or “NCLB HAS FAILED US.” But none of them have really articulated (well) what they intend to DO to reform NCLB. Everyone knows NCLB was a failure (except for George Bush). Everybody knows that NCLB need be reformed (again, except for George Bush). The candidates need to step up and decide if and how schools will be held accountable for the staggeringly low graduation rates in some of our nation’s poorest areas and how they plan on improving test scores if they don’t intend to standardize a curriculum or a testing agenda.
Obama can say he’s going to grant aid as a reward for community service all he wants, Gerry, but where does he plan on getting that money? Our national debt is ever-increasing, the war is costing us more and more, and he wants to give away money for community service? Community service is supposed to be rewarding because you give back to the community, not because you’re paid. That’s why we have jobs, remember?
Giving schools more funding doesn’t mean they’ll automatically do well on test scores, and certainly doesn’t mean NCLB will operate more efficiently. In fact, the system will probably become less efficient, since schools will have extra money to fool around with (like that principal that wound up pocketing a large portion of the NCLB money her school received). Until one of the candidates gives us some specifics, I don’t see how any one of them could possibly be THE education president.