Presidential candidates offer different approaches to delivering "world-class education" to U.S. children
Education is not foremost in the minds of most Americans who will vote in November for the next president of the United States. But for members of the International Reading Association (IRA), education and literacy are paramount in importance. (See article below on results of an informal survey of members of IRA's Legislative Action Team and visitors to IRA's Reading Today Daily website.)
Presidential candidates Democratic Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Republican Senator John McCain of Arizona clash on some fundamental ideas about education, but both party platforms spell out the importance of every child receiving what they call a "world-class education" in order for America to maintain its preeminence and to compete successfully in the global economy.
Here's how the parties and candidates compare on some key education issues.
President George W. Bush's signature piece of legislation, The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) reauthorized the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)— the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school. NCLB's mainstays are accountability, choices for parents, greater local control, and an emphasis on doing what works based on scientific research.
McCain believes in standards and accountability and that NCLB has been invaluable in highlighting which schools and students are struggling. He said NCLB is only the "beginning of education reform." He also has not called for an end to so-called "high-stakes" testing.
Choice, whether through charter schools, vouchers, or tax credits for attending faith-based or other nonpublic schools, is a key concept for McCain and Republicans. At the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minnesota, McCain drew thunderous applause in his acceptance speech when he called education "the civil rights issue of this century."
"Equal access to public education has been gained," he said. "But what is the value of access to a failing school?.... When a public school fails to meet its obligations to students, parents deserve a choice in the education of their children. And I intend to give it to them."
McCain would also make it easier for parents to get after-school tutoring for their children attending failing schools by directing money to principals and the tutoring agencies themselves, circumventing mid-level bureaucracies.
The Republican Party platform specifically calls for a review of Department of Education programs and administration to identify and eliminate ineffective programs. Republicans want to direct more block-grant funding to the states with requirements for state-level standards and assessments. Local educators would be able to end ineffective programs and reallocate resources.
During Obama's acceptance speech in August at the Democratic National Convention in Denver, Colorado, he said, "Now is the time to finally meet our moral obligation to provide every child a world-class education, because it will take nothing less to compete in the global economy." He promised to invest in early childhood education, and continued, "I'll recruit an army of new teachers and pay them higher salaries and give them more support. And in exchange, I'll ask for higher standards and more accountability." He never specifically mentioned No Child Left Behind.
In September in Dayton, Ohio, in what was billed as a major policy address, Obama unveiled the Obama-Biden plan. It calls for an Innovative Schools Fund for states and school districts to create a "portfolio" of successful types of public schools—everything from charter to nonprofit to Montessori schools—to expand choice.
The Obama-Biden plan also calls for doubling funding to the Federal Charter School program to create more charter schools in high-needs areas and promises to close underperforming schools. It would only grant funds to states that have a clear process in place for holding schools accountable.
Obama's campaign website says, "He believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests." Democrats say they would develop assessments that would track student progress in a timely, individualized manner, and would include critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills.
In keeping with the accountability leitmotif, the Obama-Biden plan says it will make federal education programs more "performance-based"and report to the public and Congress at least once a year.
The Obama-Biden plan calls for parents to be accountable, too, by making a school-family contract that lays out academic expectations and promises in return to give parents a "report card" that tells them what their child must do to be ready for high school graduation.
The Republican Party platform states that the family is the most powerful influence on a child's ability to succeed: "Parents are our children's first and fore-most teachers." McCain advocates continuing to improve early childhood programs, such as Head Start, and supports the child care tax credit.
Obama offers what he calls the Zero to Five plan that emphasizes early care and education for infants. He would institute Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state efforts to devise such programs and would help states move toward voluntary, universal preschool. Obama said he wants to quadruple participation in Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and at the same time provide affordable and high-quality child care.
The Response to Intervention (RTI) initiative, which is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), seeks to intervene early with targeted instruction for younger readers who are at risk of being identified as learning disabled or in need of special education services.
Republicans promise the federal government will do its mandated share and "cover 40% of the costs incurred because of IDEA legislation." While not specifically mentioning RTI, their platform urges "preventive efforts in early childhood, especially assistance in gaining pre-reading skills, to help many youngsters move beyond the need for IDEA's protections."
The Democratic Party platform also states that it supports fully funding the federal share of IDEA, and Obama proposes investing in what he calls "intervention strategies in middle school...such as personal academic plans, teaching teams, parent involvement, mentoring, intensive reading and math instruction, and extended learning time."
Both candidates are in agreement that much work is required to recruit, retain, and reward quality teachers.
McCain would set aside 5% of Title II funding to states to recruit teachers who graduate in the top 25% of their class or participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program such as Teach for America. He would devote 60% of Title II funding for incentive bonuses for high-performing teachers in high-needs schools, for math and science teachers, as well as for teachers "who demonstrate student improvement." Bonus payments would go directly to teachers. McCain would empower school principals to play a bigger role in evaluating teachers, budgeting, and other local issues.
Republicans also want principals to have the authority to select and assign teachers without regard to collective bargaining agreements and to bring in qualified adjunct teachers from other professions.
McCain has said he wants professional development opportunities to focus on instructional strategies that help students achieve. He said the first 35% of Title II funding would be directed to the local level so principals and teachers could use the money for the specific needs of their schools.
Obama wants to create new Teacher Service Scholarships that would pay for four years of undergraduate or two years of graduate teacher education. He would also require all schools of education to be accredited and would create a voluntary national performance assessment for new teachers.
The Obama-Biden education plan would send federal money to states and districts that design innovative teacher compensation systems such as more pay for expert veteran teachers who serve as mentors and coaches, more incentives for teachers to seek professional development, merit pay for excellent classroom teaching, and more pay for highly qualified teachers who teach in underserved schools and who teach math, science, or special education.
The Obama-Biden Career Ladder Initiative would provide mentoring for new teachers as part of an "induction program" that evaluates performance before tenure consideration. Participating districts would be required to identify ineffective and struggling teachers, help them, and remove them from the classroom in a "quick and fair way" if they still underperform.
The Republican Party platform is very specific in promoting the nonprofit lobbying group English First approach "to ensure that all students will have access to the mainstream of American life." English First seeks to make English America's official language and to eliminate what it calls "costly and ineffective multi-lingual policies."
Democrats support transitional bilingual education and funding ELL classes. The party also supports teaching second languages, as Obama has reiterated, and revitalizing American Indian languages. Obama said he wants to hold schools accountable for making sure ELLs graduate.
Both candidates support education delivery using Internet, distance education, and night and weekend programs, and especially community colleges. The Republican Party platform calls community colleges the "first responders" to retraining workers for economic challenges in a global economy and "welcoming environments" for returning veterans.
McCain said he would allocate $250 million for states to build virtual math and science academies, for online tutoring support for students in traditional schools, and foreign language courses. He also would offer $250 million in Digital Passport Scholarships to help students pay for online tutors or enroll in virtual schools. Low-income students could receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT/ACT prep course, credit recovery, or tutoring services by outside providers. A national scholarship administrator would manage student applications, and the monitoring and evaluation of providers.
The Obama-Biden plan would build on existing programs and create a $500 million matching fund to integrate technology in schools using simulations, interactive games, and intelligent tutors; develop better student assessments that allow teachers and parents to get information about student performance in real time; create new technology-based curriculums; and allow teachers to work collaboratively with their peers across the country to share best practices.
Change is the new watchword in politics—and change was on the minds of those who participated in an informal poll that appeared in September on IRA's Reading Today Daily website and was circulated to members of IRA's Legislative Action Team.
"Changing No Child Left Behind," President George W. Bush's education initiative that has left its mark on virtually every school system in the nation during the last 8 years, was the choice that the greatest percentage (39%) of poll participants selected in response to the question, "What one area of education do you think the president should spend his political capital on in 2009?"
Expanding funding for education came in second at 27%, while improving teacher education was third at 10%. Nearly a third of respondents characterized themselves as reading specialists, with administrators, literacy coaches, and teachers making up most of the remainder.
Regarding particular funding issues for elementary through high school educators, the need for professional development resources was perceived as the greatest (34%), followed by class size reduction and funding "directed at specific areas for high-need students."
Those involved in teacher education cited by a margin of 3 to 1 funding to support teacher education programs targeted at high-need schools as their institution's area of greatest need. The next closest response was for more money for research on instruction followed by expanding course offerings and more support for student teachers.
Respondents were invited to input their comments on what they would say to the new president on Inauguration Day. Higher pay, respect for teachers' work ("Our democracy and public education system will flourish if teachers are given the support and resources each unique situation demands."), ending NCLB ("NCLB has imposed a stranglehold on American education."), and ending high-stakes testing ("The emphasis on high-stakes testing has taken the heart and richness out of education.") all generated lots of comment. Many respondents urged increasing education funding overall and suggested that the new president should take his cue from real educators working in the field, not politicians or their advisers.
Professional development and teacher education also sparked responses such as the following: ("Education is power; well-prepared, quality teachers are the key ingredient in any classroom and the best intervention available.") ("Programs do not teach students; teachers teach students. Invest in teachers and children because ultimately these two groups bear all of the elements of success or failure.")
One comment summed up the current emphasis by both candidates on achieving a "world-class education" for every American student: "Education can no longer be viewed as something we must provide for our kids. Instead, the continuing education of U.S. citizens must be a highly regarded, natural aspect of a way of life commanding the respect of all international citizens."
For more on the survey, go to www.reading.org and click on Reading Today, sample articles.
For more on the candidates and their positions on the issues, visit:
Over 200 IRA members participated in an informal opinion poll on educational issues they would like to see addressed by the next Presidential administration. Nearly a third of respondents characterized themselves as reading specialists, with administrators, literacy coaches and teachers making up most of the remainder.
| 29% | |
| 17% | |
| 14% | |
| 12% | |
| 11% | |
| 9% |
For the question: "What one area of education do you think the president should spend his political capital on in 2009?"
The next question asked elementary and secondary school educators to define their school's greatest need to enhance instruction."
The final question asked those who were working in a teacher education institution to identify their institution's area of greatest need.
Respondents were invited to submit comments on what they would say to the new President on Inauguration Day. Most of the comments focused on the following areas.
One person said that the education of our children determines our future as a nation and quoted Lyndon Johnson: "A book is the most effective weapon against intolerance and ignorance." Education is still one of the most important issues facing the voters in the 2008 election and it's one the voters are deeply engaged in.
McCain vs. Obama (October/November 2008). Reading Today 26(2), 1,6.
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