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While the Iraq war, health care, oil
prices and the economy dominate the presidential campaign, the candidates also
have staked out positions on education, especially concerning the quality of
public schools and the affordability of college. Although Barack Obama has spoken
more often about education, his opponent, John McCain, is beefing up his positions
on this issue.
When it comes to campaigning about higher education, Obama is a favorite on
college campuses and seems very comfortable in that environment, in part because
he taught at the University of Chicago Law School for 12 years prior to being
elected to the Senate. He has visited dozens of two- and four-year colleges,
and observers report that his appearances take on the atmosphere of a rock concert.
During the primaries, his charisma translated into a commanding lead in gathering
votes from younger voters. For example, in South Carolina, 67 percent of voters
under 30 cast ballots for Obama, and in Iowa, he won 57 percent of that age
group. Polls showed students responding to his message of change, hope and unity.
They characterized him as “cool” while they considered his main
rival, Hillary Clinton, a more traditional politician
Last year, Obama drew more contributions from the academic community than any
of the Democratic candidates. His Web site features an “Academics for
Obama” link, and analysts say he has a special appeal to faculty, even
among conservatives. Kenneth Vogel, who writes on Politico.com, suggests that
professors seem to have a “crush” on Obama.
To counter Obama’s popularity among the college crowd, McCain has tried
to connect to college students through multiple appearances on Jon Stewart’s
The Daily Show and a presence on Facebook and MySpace. He has fielded questions
from younger voters via several dialogues sponsored by MTV/MySpace, using Instant
Messenger technology. This fall, the College Republican National Committee is
sending representatives to hundreds of campuses to organize support for McCain.
The group also has launched a special Internet site, STORM, to link Republican
students across the country.
Both candidates have put community colleges in the spotlight by making frequent
visits to two-year schools and touting them as places to train individuals for
new job opportunities and as essential components in offering access to higher
education for all Americans.
With younger voters targeted as key constituencies this fall, colleges probably
will remain top choices for campaign stops, offering both candidates a chance
to show they care about quality, access and affordability of higher education.
If the economy continues to slow, there also will be plenty of talk about work
force development programs.
But Obama and McCain are not neglecting the K-12 sector, and each one has shared
a vision for how he would handle the need to improve public schools.
With this in mind, HO presents a summary of the educational policies of McCain
and Obama as well as excerpts from their key speeches during the past year.
BARACK OBAMA
Educational background: bachelor’s degree from Columbia University and
law degree from Harvard University, where he was the first Black president of
Harvard Law Review.
Summary of Issues
Obama campaigns on his Blueprint for Change plan, which includes sections on
giving every child a “world-class” education and making college
affordable. He has called for an infusion of $18 billion to fund education initiatives.
One of his chief concerns is America’s dropout rate, which shows only
70 percent of U.S. students graduate with a high school diploma. Obama wants
to ensure that more students finish school and go on to college without incurring
enormous debt.
One of the basic premises of Obama’s plan for public schools is that early
childhood education is the most important key to closing the achievement gaps
among minorities and low-income families. Many of his education programs are
aimed at helping young children and their parents have access to services geared
toward readiness for kindergarten.
Obama also sees the need to strengthen public schools by recruiting, retaining
and rewarding good teachers. To help meet this goal, he would ask for funding
to provide scholarships to students who promise to teach after graduation. In
addition, he would make mathematics and science education a national priority
by recruiting graduates in these disciplines to teach and enhance the curriculum
at all levels.
Obama supports existing programs, such as TRIO and Gear Up, which help young
people from low-income families prepare for college.
Highlights of Education Proposals
Higher Education
Financial aid: Simplify the process of applying for financial aid by allowing
families to use their tax return as a means of applying for aid instead of filing
separate forms. Obama believes the U.S. Education Department should run a direct
lending program.
American Opportunity tax credits: Provide an automatic tax credit worth $4,000,
which Obama’s campaign estimates will cover two-thirds of the cost of
tuition at the average public college.
Community College Partnership Program: Offer federal grant money to identify
types of education needed by local industries and create new associate degree
programs in these fields. Obama also would offer financial incentives to institutions
which boost the number of students who graduate and transfer to four-year colleges.
Public Schools
Reform No Child Left Behind: Fully fund the provisions of the law and improve
accountability by relying less on standardized tests and more on measuring readiness
for college.
Zero to Five Plan: Allocate $10 billion to support early care programs and education
essential for helping children to be ready for kindergarten. Create Early Learning
Challenge Grants for states to promote voluntary, universal preschool programs.
Teacher recruitment: Offer free undergraduate or master’s tuition for
teachers who agree to work four years in a high-need discipline or location.
Training teachers: Require accreditation of all schools of education, sponsor
more mentoring programs for first-year teachers, and expand national certification
of teachers
Excerpts from Speeches
“Only 20 percent of our students are prepared to take college classes
in English, math and science. We have one of the highest dropout rates of any
industrialized country, and barely one-tenth of our low-income students will
graduate from college. And that will cripple their ability to keep pace in this
global economy and compromise our ability to compete as a nation.”
“I believe in high standards, but I don’t want our children to be
learning to a test. I want them learning art and music and science and literature
and all the things that make an education well-rounded.”
“We need to recruit an army of new teachers. The baby boomers are starting
to retire. We need more teachers. And I will make this pledge as your president:
If you commit your life to teaching, America will pay for your college education.”
“Let me say one more thing about education, though. Teachers alone, government
alone, can’t do it. Parents are going to have to step up. Parents need
to turn off the television set, and put away the video games and read to your
child. Parents have to instill a thirst for educational excellence in our children.”
“Our commitment cannot end with a high school degree. The chance to get
a college education must not be a privilege of the few; it should be a birthright
of every single American.”
What Opponents Say
Critics say that Obama needs to do more to address higher education programs
for adults who are part of the work force and need training to broaden their
skills. Some also worry that the $18 billion for education means slashing the
budget in other areas important to U.S. global competitiveness, such as the
space program.
JOHN MCCAIN
Educational background: Graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis,
Md.
Summary of Issues
McCain has focused most of his education policy remarks on public schools, using
the theme of “Excellence, Choice and Competition in American Education.”
First and foremost, he would like schools to compete to be more innovative,
flexible and student-centered. If schools cannot meet standards of performance,
McCain would give parents and their children the opportunity to move from failing
schools to private schools through the use of vouchers. He also supports options
such as home schooling and charter schools.
Because teachers play a vital role in making school effective, McCain proposes
several initiatives to hire the best individuals for the nation’s classrooms
and reward them for demonstrating progress. He would put more federal funding
toward creating alternative pathways for those who want to teach, primarily
because he is not convinced that education schools are doing an adequate job
of training teachers.
Highlights of Education Proposals
Higher Education
Veterans: Expand higher education benefits for military veterans.
Community Colleges: Increase community college programs aimed at helping displaced
workers.
Affordability: Support tax-free savings accounts to help pay for education.
McCain believes that low taxes are the key to helping American families pay
for college.
Student loans: Create student loan protection programs to ensure the current
credit crisis does not prevent students from obtaining loans for college.
Public Schools
Charter schools: Expand charter schools, which McCain characterizes as “sought-after
and successful” because principals have spending discretion.
Merit pay: Offer more money for teachers who improve academic performance of
students.
Accountability: Continue accountability for schools through student performance
on standardized tests.
No Child Left Behind (NCLB): Build on successes of NCLB, but revamp some provisions,
especially those affecting testing of non-English-speaking children.
Excerpts from Speeches
“Choice and competition is the key [sic] to success in education in America.
That means charter schools, home schooling and vouchers. It means rewarding
good teachers and finding bad teachers another line of work. It means rewarding
good-performing schools, and it really means, in some cases, putting bad-performing
schools out of business.”
“We will award bonuses to our highest-achieving teachers. And no longer
will we measure teacher achievement by conformity to process. We will measure
it by the success of their students.”
“If a failing school won’t change, it shouldn’t be beyond
the reach of students to change their schools.”
“The No Child Left Behind Act was a good beginning. It is the first time
we have asked schools across America to meet certain criteria in performance.
It injects both competition and standards for proficiency in education in America.”
“We can help more children and young adults to study outside of school
by expanding support for virtual learning. I propose to direct $500 million
in federal funds for virtual schools that will support online learning for students.”
What Opponents Say
Critics say McCain has not focused enough on education, especially the affordability
of higher education, because he would rather campaign on issues that reflect
his strength and experience. His proposal for offering parents and students
choice in K-12 education through charter schools, which are publicly funded
but privately run, has drawn fire from those who say it would drain resources
from the public school system.
