By Donald Kim, CEI Intern
The 2016 presidential election is not far off. And with the primaries and caucuses approaching within a matter of months, now is a good time to think about the candidates and their stances on education.
Education reform has been away from the spotlight in previous years and elections. But for 2016, education reform proves to be a pressing issue. Most candidates agree that education needs to change in one way or another, but how to do this is up for debate: common core/ national standards, government involvement, vouchers, and charter schools.
Common Core: This is an interesting issue because the very term ‘common core’ carries with it negative connotation for many. Some opponents of the ‘common core’ will support ‘national standards,’ even though it is largely the same thing. National standards for education are one of the issues that divide candidates within party lines ‘“ The GOP discussed the issue hotly during the recent New Hampshire Education Summit.
Vouchers: ‘Education vouchers’ or ‘school vouchers’ are government granted funds given to parents of students; these vouchers can be used to pay for either private or public schooling. This system has been implemented in Chile, Ireland, Sweden, and a few others on smaller scales.
Charter Schools: These schools (K-12) are scattered across the nation, and have been making waves education systems. Charter schools have more freedom in how they may teach, and are some of the highest-performing schools in the nation. These schools remain free through government funding.
Personal Anecdote: I attended a variation of the charter school during high school. The program is called the Loudoun County Academy of Science. Every other day, students would attend the school to take their math, science, and research courses. My graduating class contained around 60 students, which made for a very tight-knit group. The teachers often formed friendships with students, and the administration was eager to chat about anything. The curriculum was non-standard in that it aimed to integrate different areas of science ‘“ teachers highlighted the relation of chemistry, earth science, and physics. In Junior and Senior year, all students conducted a novel research project. While some research ended up middling in results, other research went on to win various awards. Regardless of end-results (my research project fared pretty badly), I took away a lot from the experience. I think charter schools are great in that they can take liberties to teach in ways that challenge students, and provide students with new experiences.
The Candidates: Generally democratic candidates support education affordability as well as charter schools. Republican candidates are generally against teacher unions. They also seem to support local autonomy regarding education. Both parties are split on common core and national standards. Here are some candidates and their views on education issues:
Democrats:
Hilary Clinton
Dislikes the private sector aspect of university education
Wants increased state funding and control regarding education
She supports teacher unions
She has supported charter schools for a while
Bernie Sanders
Wants to lower costs for education, especially college
Wants to increase national standards for education
Voted FOR charter school expansion act in 1998
Is against vouchers
Martin O’Malley
Supports freezing tuition rates for colleges
Supports increased grants and work-study programs
supports charter schools
supports use of common core
Republicans:
Jeb Bush
Advocates for the Common Core, going as far to say that he will stand by it even if the GOP will not
Is against the government having to set specific requirements for state ‘“ he seeks less government involvement
Supports outsourcing education to charter schools
Chris Christie
Champions vouchers, to send kids to a wider choice of schools
Is for increased charter schools in cities
Is vehemently against teacher unions
Wants standards for teachers to be increased
Rand Paul
Supports less government involvement with elem/secondary
Wants to focus on local autonomy for schools
Against national curriculum
Donald Trump
Opposes Bush’s favor for common core
Supports increased school standards for both teachers and students
Is against teacher unions
Is against ’empowering’ and ‘supportive’ approach in teaching
More information on these candidates and others’ specific views on education can be found here and here.
It is difficult to ascertain to what degree education will be addressed during primaries and elections. But I remain generally encouraged ‘“all candidates recognize the need for progress in education.
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