Republican presidential candidates slammed teachers鈥 unions and called for the elimination of the U.S. Department of Education, reading acceleration, more curriculum transparency, and expanded school choice in the first official debate of the GOP nominating contest Wednesday night.
The debate, which was hosted by Fox News in Milwaukee, Wis., on Aug. 23, provided the first opportunity for most candidates to answer questions about education.
Missing from the debate stage was the leading GOP candidate, former President Donald Trump, who spoke to former Fox News host Tucker Carlson in a prerecorded interview streamed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Education did not come up in their conversation.
Education took up a small portion of the two-hour debate, with a question on the topic coming in the last half-hour of the event.
Candidates鈥 responses were dominated by calls to eliminate the U.S. Department of Education, expand school choice, and take on teachers鈥 unions, common Republican positions. The next president won鈥檛 have much direct control over what happens in K-12 schools, as states and local school boards make the most decisions about school governance. But the president鈥檚 stance on education can influence how other politicians approach the issue.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has staked much of his governorship and presidential candidacy on his education record, highlighted laws he鈥檚 enacted that Republicans in other states have emulated. He touted the Parental Rights in Education Act鈥攁lso known as the 鈥淒on鈥檛 Say Gay鈥 law鈥攚hich prohibits lessons or mentions of gender identity and sexuality in the classroom, and a state ban on the teaching of critical race theory. He also touted his decision to keep schools open to in-person learning in Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic.
鈥淲e need education in this country, not indoctrination in this country,鈥 DeSantis said. 鈥淚n Florida, we stood up for what was right.鈥
DeSantis, as well as businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, called for enhanced civics education.
Ramaswamy suggesting that every high school graduate be required to pass the same civics exam that immigrants take when applying to become citizens. DeSantis touted revisions to Florida鈥檚 civics education standards that have happened under his watch; the revised standards highlight patriotism and American exceptionalism as well as religion鈥檚 role in the nation鈥檚 founding.
Four of the candidates鈥擭orth Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, and Ramaswamy鈥攕aid they would eliminate the U.S. Department of Education if elected.
鈥淟et鈥檚 shut down the head of the snake: the Department of Education,鈥 Ramaswamy said. 鈥淭ake that $80 billion [and] put it in the hands of parents across this country. This is the civil rights issue of our time.鈥
Pence also made a point to promote school choice, an issue he has advocated for throughout his career as a politician, especially in his years as governor of Indiana, which has some of the most robust private school choice policies in the nation.
鈥淲e鈥檒l give choice to every family in America when I鈥檓 in the White House,鈥 Pence said.
Nikki Haley, a former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina governor, called for 鈥渞eading remediation鈥 in K-12 schools in addition to 鈥渢ransparency in the classroom, because parents should never have to wonder what鈥檚 being said or taught to their children.鈥
鈥淲e can talk about all of these things鈥攁nd there鈥檚 a lot of crazy woke things happening in schools鈥攂ut we鈥檝e got to get these kids reading,鈥 Haley said.
Haley also called for career and technical education, which she called 鈥渧ocational education,鈥 and for policies that ban transgender athletes from playing sports that align with their gender identity.
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Ramaswamy took big shots at teachers鈥 unions.
鈥淭he only way we change education in this nation is to break the backs of the teachers鈥 unions,鈥 Scott said. 鈥淭hey are standing in the doorhouse of our kids, locking them in failing schools, and locking them out of the greatest future they can have.鈥
When asked a question about how he would approach the issue of UFOs, Christie turned his answer around to discuss education and criticize teachers鈥 unions and boast about his fights with him as New Jersey governor.
The unions are 鈥減utting themselves before our kids,鈥 Christie said. 鈥淭hat is the biggest threat to our country, not UFOs.鈥
While Republican state leaders in recent years have spoken at length about schools indoctrinating kids, Burgum, the North Dakota governor, said that isn鈥檛 happening in most schools and that the 鈥渧ast majority鈥 of teachers are working hard and are underpaid. He also touted steps North Dakota has taken to allow districts to innovate as well as a state law there he signed to prohibit transgender girls from playing girls鈥 sports.
鈥淪ome school districts are doing a fantastic job, some less so,鈥 Burgum said, 鈥渂ut the idea that every school district, state, and every teacher is somehow indoctrinating people is just false.鈥
Burgum added that educators will be better able to innovate 鈥渨hen you cut loose the red tape.鈥
鈥淭eachers in this country, the vast majority of them care about those kids,鈥 Burgum said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e working in low-paying jobs and they鈥檙e fighting for those kids and their families.鈥
