If you're a politics nerd and junkie like me, you are so jazzed (and likely frustrated) with the 2016 election cycle! Given that education in American politics is the prime focus of this blog, let's explore where the current frontrunner nominees for each party stand on issues of education. Admittingly, much of this information is collected from the good people at On The Issues--a website dedicated to collecting policy information about each candidate. Also, as mentioned previously, the issue of education has been sparsely mentioned on the campaign trail. Unsurprisingly, these candidates' opinions on education are limited to a handful of familiar topics.
Let's start with the Republicans frontrunners:
Donald J. Trump
- Opposes Common Core State Standards and has called them a "disaster". He has also explicitly criticized other candidates (mainly, Jeb Bush) who have supported CCSS in the past.
- Favors redistributing exclusive educational oversight to individual states and has even hinted at cutting the department of education:
- In that same interview Donald mentions his acceptance of affirmative action policies--also adding that he believes those policies have out served their purpose.
Senator Ted Cruz
- From his website: "Abolish the IRS, the Department of Education, the Department of Energy, the Department of Commerce, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. A Cruz Administration will appoint heads of each of those agencies whose sole charge will be to wind them down and determine whether any programs need to be preserved." [bolded for emphasis]
- Further: "...return education to those who know our students best: parents, teachers, local communities, and states. And block-grant education funding to the states."
- "Passionately opposed to Common Core..." and states that it is a "tool of the federal government" to retain power of education:
Senator Marco Rubio
- Common Core:
- Would issue an executive order to stop "any and all" activity related to CCSS.
- Higher Education and on K-12 Educational Choice:
- Would create an "income based" loan repayment system in which monthly collections are proportional to earned income
- Investing in school choice options that allow parents and families to select schools that best fit their student's educational needs
Now for the Democratic frontrunners:
Hilary Clinton
- College:
- Would implement a "New College Compact" that would eliminate costs of "...tuition, books, and fees to attend a four-year public college in their state"
- Would be paid for by limiting tax expenditures for high-income earners
- Early Childhood Education:
- Proposing doubling the amount of money currently invested in Head Start and Early Head Start--Child Care Programs
- Investing and supporting state efforts to expand preschool access
- K-12 Education:
- Support teachers by investing in professional development and high quality recruitment efforts
- Support implementation of the Every Child Succeeds Act
Senator Bernie Sanders
- College:
- Proposes making tuition free at public colleges and universities
- Paid for by imposing a tax on Wall Street speculators estimated to generate $300 million in revenue
- Reform student loan system by cutting the interest rate on said loans
- Expand need-based financial aid and student work programs
There you have it--have fun at the polls!
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