[NOTE: all Policy Position comparisons can be found by going HERE - or by typing "policy positions" {in quotes!} in the Search Blog box in the upper left corner of page.]

Policy Positions Re: EDUCATION


MCCAIN ON EDUCATION


No Child Left Behind:

• McCain calls the law "a good beginning" and believes that it is adequately funded, although he would funnel more of the money directly to school principals and tutoring services, bypassing state and local officials.
• He would also focus existing federal education dollars on expanded tutoring and school-choice programs for children in low-performing schools, alternative ways to recruit and certify teachers and online education.
• He wants to change the way schools test special-education students and those learning English, and backs tests that measure students' academic progress over time.
• He has not rejected No Child's annual reading and math testing requirement or the law's tough consequences for schools in which children continue to struggle.

School choice:

• McCain promises "school choice for all who want it" and champions charter schools and private-school vouchers, but his plan is limited to expanding the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program to provide vouchers to nearly 3,000 poor students in underperforming District of Columbia schools.
• He has long favored allowing states to operate their own voucher initiatives but opposes the creation of a federal program.

Teacher quality:

• McCain advocates merit pay for teachers based primarily on raising students' test scores and bonuses for those who work in underprivileged schools; wants to open the profession to would-be teachers from other fields.
• He would redirect funds from other NCLB teacher programs and send the money to schools to focus on enhancing teachers' instructional strategies and ability to meet students' academic needs.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080830_3632.php



OBAMA ON EDUCATION


No Child Left Behind:

• Obama endorses the law's goals of raising academic standards, holding schools accountable for educating all children and putting a good teacher in every classroom, but he would use more measures than just standardized tests to gauge academic success.
• He would pour $8 billion in additional annual funding into the law, mostly for teacher quality initiatives; he would add after-school, drop-out prevention, and college readiness and summer programs to help poor and minority students.
• He calls on parents to do their part.

School choice:

• Obama supports allowing students in failing schools to transfer to magnet or public charter schools.
• He opposes vouchers for private and religious schools.

Teacher quality:

• Obama supports merit pay for successful teachers based on a range of factors, including test scores.
• He backs incentive pay for teachers in disadvantaged schools, for those who teach hard-to-staff subjects like math and science and for those who mentor novice teachers - as long as differential pay plans are developed cooperatively by local school districts and teachers.

Early childhood education:

• Obama would spend an additional $10 billion a year on Early Head Start, Head Start and block grants to cover child care for low-income families.
• His plan for educating children from birth to age five features matching grants for states to adopt or expand early child care and early-education programs and to offer voluntary universal preschool.

http://www.nationaljournal.com/njmagazine/nj_20080830_3632.php