Where They Stand On: Education
The Basics
•Support for charter schools?
•Reform No Child Left Behind?
•Increase ability to fire teachers?
McCain
•Backs charter schools as part of his policy of increasing school choice and competition
•Says it needs work but offers few details
•Says, "We need to ... help bad teachers find another line of work"
Obama
•Wants to increase funding for charter schools, though highlights the need for accountability
•Would fund and reform it, reducing focus on tests and punishment of under-performing schools
•Provides assistance for under-performing teachers but would replace them if progress isn't made
The Big Question:
Should parents be given vouchers to enable them to send their children to any school?
MCCAIN
YES: Our education system still seeks to avoid genuine accountability and responsibility for producing well-educated children. I will place parents and children at the center of the education process, empowering parents by greatly expanding their ability to choose among schools for their children. I will target federal funds to recruit new teachers for the neediest education settings and provide tutors and other learning opportunities to low-income students. And I will make sure that these funds are controlled by school principals and parents—who know local communities and students the best — not Washington bureaucrats.
OBAMA
NO: I believe that public education in America should foster innovation and provide students with varied, high-quality learning opportunities. I helped pass a law to double the number of charter schools in Chicago, and I have proposed doubling funding for the federal charter-school program. I believe that graduation from a high-quality high school and the opportunity to succeed in college must be the birthright of every child in our country. My comprehensive plan gives all children access to early-childhood education, puts an excellent teacher in every classroom and makes a college education within reach of every American.