There wasn鈥檛 a single question on education during the vice presidential debate last week, but Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware and Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska managed to get some of their views on federal K-12 policy on the table anyway鈥攊ncluding a surprise comment from the Republican nominee saying she wants to increase education funding.
鈥淥ur schools have got to be really ramped up in terms of the funding,鈥� Gov. Palin said during the Oct. 2 debate at Washington University in St. Louis. 鈥淭eachers need to be paid more.鈥�
And she said that states鈥� education standards have been 鈥渁 little bit lax鈥� and need to be raised.
She also gave voters a sense of where she stands on the No Child Left Behind Act, which neither presidential candidate has addressed much on the campaign trail.
鈥淣o Child Left Behind was implemented,鈥� Gov. Palin said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not doing the job, though. We need flexibility in No Child Left Behind.鈥�
And she bemoaned the lack of attention education has received.
鈥淚t鈥檚 near and dear to my heart,鈥� she said.
Sen. Biden pointed out that Sen. John McCain of Arizona hasn鈥檛 proposed increasing education spending. The Republican presidential nominee has said he wants to freeze discretionary spending for most domestic programs, including education, until he can conduct a top-to-bottom review of all federal programs.
Sen. Biden cited lack of money as a reason that the federal school accountability law hasn鈥檛 been a success.
鈥淭he reason No Child Left Behind was left behind鈥攖he money was left behind; we didn鈥檛 fund it,鈥� he said.
The Democratic vice presidential nominee said that he and his running mate, Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois, would not scale back their $18 billion education spending plan, despite economic pressures and the possibility of a $700 billion assistance plan for the financial sector.
鈥淲e won鈥檛 slow up on education, because that鈥檚 the engine that鈥檚 going to give us the economic growth and competitiveness we need,鈥� he said.
Sen. Biden and Gov. Palin weren鈥檛 given the opportunity to criticize their respective running mates鈥� records on schools, but Sen. Biden did get in a quick dig on Sen. McCain鈥檚 views, saying that 鈥渉e has not been a maverick when it comes to education.鈥濃��Alyson Klein
The Third Parties and Education
John McCain and Barack Obama both say they would keep much of the No Child Left Behind Act鈥檚 architecture of standards, testing, and accountability. But while the two major-party nominees are in at least general accord on those NCLB basics, three other candidates for president have a different stand on the law: Bob Barr, Cynthia McKinney, and Ralph Nader all want to repeal it.
Here鈥檚 a sampling of their views:
Mr. Nader, the longtime consumer advocate who is running in his third consecutive election, this time as an independent, says on his campaign Web site: 鈥淔ederal policy needs to be transformed from one that uses punishments to control schools, to one that supports teachers and students; from one that relies primarily on standardized tests, to one that encourages high-quality assessments. Broader measures of student learning are needed that include reliance on classroom-based assessments along with testing.鈥�
Mr. Barr, the Libertarian Party candidate, writes on his campaign鈥檚 site: 鈥淭urning education over to the federal government, as through such legislation as the No Child Left Behind Act, has not worked. Trying to fix failing schools with more money and regulations also has failed to do anything other than waste taxpayer money without results.鈥�
He proposes ending the federal government鈥檚 role in education and leaving decisionmaking to state and local governments.
The Green Party, which has nominated Ms. McKinney to be its candidate, writes in its draft platform that 鈥渢he federal act titled No Child Left Behind punishes where it should assist and hinders its own declared purpose. It should be repealed or greatly redesigned.鈥�
The federal government鈥檚 role should be limited to ensuring students across states have a 鈥渓evel playing field,鈥� the platform says.
Ms. McKinney, a former Democrat, was a U.S. representative from 1993 until 2003 and again from 2005 until 2007; Mr. Barr, a former Republican, was a U.S. representative from 1995 until 2003.
But they don鈥檛 mention a relevant detail from their records while representing Georgia districts in the House of Representatives: Back in 2001, both voted for the NCLB legislation twice, once when the House passed its bill and again when the chamber approved the House-Senate compromise that went to President Bush for his signature.鈥�Alyson Klein
Palin鈥檚 Evolving Science Ed. Views
Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin last week had more to say about whether evolution and/or creationism should be taught in public schools.
Ms. Palin, the governor of Alaska, was asked by anchorwoman Katie Couric about the issue during a segment that aired on the 鈥淐BS Evening News鈥� last week.
Here鈥檚 the exchange:
Ms. Couric: Do you believe evolution should be taught as an accepted scientific principle or as one of several theories?
Ms. Palin: Oh, I think it should be taught as an accepted principle. And, as you know, I say that also as the daughter of a schoolteacher, a science teacher, who has really instilled in me a respect for science. It should be taught in our schools. And I won鈥檛 deny that I see the hand of God in this beautiful creation that is Earth. But that is not part of the state policy or a local curriculum in a school district. Science should be taught in science class.
The response was a softening of a view Ms. Palin suggested she held during her 2006 campaign for governor.
Addressing the issue of teaching evolution and creationism during a televised debate during that campaign, she said: 鈥淭each both. You know, don鈥檛 be afraid of information. Healthy debate is important, and I am a proponent of teaching both.鈥� 鈥�Michele McNeil
ED in 鈥�08 Funding Nears End
After more than a year and a half and an expenditure of around $25 million, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation aren鈥檛 going to be providing more money for ED in 鈥�08, the venture that was designed to put education front and center in the presidential campaign.
The development was first reported late last month by the Puget Sound Business Journal, a newspaper in the Seattle area.
Christopher J. Williams, a program officer at the Gates Foundation, in Seattle, said that the philanthropy has funded ED in 鈥�08 through March 2009, and that the project always had a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end, pegged to the election. The foundations had originally pledged up to $60 million for the effort. (鈥淓ffort for Education as Campaign Issue Fights for Traction,鈥� Dec. 5, 2007.)
鈥淭he money that鈥檚 gone into it is the money that we think we need to get the job done,鈥� Mr. Williams said in an interview.
Still, most observers agree there has been relatively little discussion of education issues in the presidential campaign. It鈥檚 tough to say whether that was because the economy, the nation鈥檚 two wars, and 鈥渓ipstick on a pig鈥� comments drowned out some of the policy ideas that ED in 鈥�08 worked to get on the radar screen.
Karen Denne, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles-based Broad Foundation, said that while education hasn鈥檛 been the top issue this year, there鈥檚 been more discussion of it than there would have been otherwise, thanks to ED in 鈥�08.
鈥淲hat we realize is that, given the current landscape, education is competing with some very significant issues both for the candidates鈥� attention and the public鈥檚 attention,鈥� Ms. Denne said in an interview.
鈥淓ducation has been discussed to the degree that it has been because of Strong American 69传媒,鈥� she said. 鈥淓D in 鈥�08 has absolutely done a tremendous job in getting education addressed by the presidential candidates.鈥�
Strong American 69传媒 is the nonprofit organization in Washington that administers the campaign.
Shannon Murphy, a spokeswoman for Strong American 69传媒, said that both major presidential candidates have expressed support for at least two of the organization鈥檚 three main policy ideas: alternative pay plans for teachers, high standards, and extended learning time.
The Broad and Gates foundations both provide grant support for some Education Week special projects.鈥�Alyson Klein
