Most education policy, as well as roughly 91% of the funding, comes from the state and local level. But as No Child Left Behind showed, a change in federal policy can still have a big impact. Here are four K-12 issues in which the next President could make a difference:
No Child Left Behind
The sweeping legislation championed by President Bush, which makes federal funding dependent on mandatory annual tests, is up for reauthorization. Who would raise their hand in support?
Vouchers
All the candidates favor some form of school choice — Democrats prefer "public-school choice" — but not all advocate vouchers, which help parents pay for private schools
Merit Pay
Performance-based pay aims to reward outstanding teachers and give incentives for improvement. How it should be determined and distributed is a big sticking point
Longer School Day or Year
Children may enjoy a long summer holiday — a relic of America's agrarian past — but many experts say that more time in class would bring American students closer to their peers abroad
GET INVOLVED
hotchalk.com
Teachers, students and parents can connect through this online community. More than 367,000 teachers already use it
EXPLORE THE ISSUES
edin08.com
This nonpartisan group is a clearinghouse for potential solutions to persistent problems in U.S. education
WATCH AND LEARN
2mminutes.com
The documentary Two Million Minutes compares how American students measure up to those in India and China