Ed in 08

This blog has been flooded today with hits from google searches looking for Ed in 08, the campaign name of the Strong American Schools project financed by Bill Gates and Eli Broad. To help visitors find those sites, please access one of the following links:

• Billionaires Start $60 Million Schools Effort (NYT)
• Ed in 08 - Strong American Schools (www.edin08.com)

Of course, if you want to stick around and read this blog ... feel free! I am very excited about this project and will write about it in the very near future.

John Cox Responds

Yesterday I posted John Cox's Education Policy. As I have with all of the candidates I have spotlighted, I sent a message to the campaign letting them know about the post and inviting them to share their thoughts. I was delighted to find a response from Mr. Cox today posted as a comment. The complete text of Mr. Cox's comments are republished below:

I was sent this reference and thought it important to address this note directly. First, I am a former school board president and the son of a Chicago public school teacher; I have been a teacher myself as well so I think I have some standing to discuss education. If you look at the Constitution, you will find no reference to the federal government having the responsibility for education policy. It is true that in the past the federal government has rightly gotten involved when equal protection was the issues especially, when different schools had different standards based on color, which is reprehensible to me as I hope it is to all Americans. Having said that, I do believe there can be some federal role in assisting some states with funding if they are unable due to their own unique economic circumstances to fund their own education. I believe that can be done without the huge bureaucracy in Washington DC. That bureaucracy doesn't teach children, good teachers and parents do. Second, my support for vouchers, which should be executed by the states but for which I will use the bully pulpit of the Presidency to argue for, is based upon my belief that the private sector influence of competition is the best way to provide the quality and efficiency we need for our schools, especially at the primary and secondary level. Our colleges compete with each other and essentially have voucher programs (many grant programs, etc) and they are some of the best educational institutions in the world. Our primary and secondary schools for the most part are government bureaucracies run for the adminstrators and not the teachers and students. Finally, it is a cheap shot to refer to the book I wrote. I wrote the book so people would know more about me and where I stand on the issues. It is referenced on each page as is volunteering, issues and other matters. I am not making any money on the book and all proceeds go to the campaign. I have not done any promotional tours for the book. Education may be near the back but the last chapter is on Agriculture but that doesn't mean I don't think it is a good idea to have an agriculture industry. Ordering the chapters was not some plan to communicate that education is not important. Quite the contrary, my background surely notes that I believe education is fundamental to the future success of our country. That is why I want the federal government, with its inefficient and wasteful forms and bureaucracy, to take a backseat to the important functions of local school boards, parents and teachers.

John Cox

Response: First and foremost I would like to thank Mr. Cox for taking the time to compose and post a thought out and lengthy response. The passion expressed in his response shows a much appreciated interest in Education that does not come through in the space dedicated to Education on his website. As for the content of his response, he correctly points out that the a public education is found no where within the U.S. Constitution, but rather in the Constitutions of each state. Although he doesn't call for the federal government to cut all ties with K-12 education, he suggests that through the use of state provided vouchers they could become better institutions similar to the way our universities work if you think of grants and scholarships as vouchers. However, I fail to follow that logic as the majority of college student aid (Pell Grants, Stafford Loans, Federal Work Study, etc) is provided by the federal government, the majority of our nation's public universities (106) were created by the federal government with the Morrill Land Grant Act, and many of our universities depend upon the support of Federal research grants to survive -- all of this, despite the fact that you will also not find a single mention of the federal government's role in higher education in the U.S. Constitution. Shouldn't by the same strict-constitutionalist logic applied to K-12 schools Mr. Cox be in support of a "hands off" federal policy for higher education as well? Now all of this isn't to say that I disagree with Mr. Cox's ideas, but if locally managed schools can't perform even with more federal aid what makes him think they can do better with less? And if you give the students who attend those schools vouchers, which schools of higher quality are going to take those students after they are so far behind? Before implementing it nationally, shouldn't we be able to point to a place where vouchers have been tested, and work? Finally, I apologize for any hard feelings for wondering why your book was being advertised on almost every page of your campaign site -- but contrary to what your response indicated, I could not find on your website that the proceeds of the book would be poured back into the campaign (on an unrelated note: if that is the intent, shouldn't those sales be counted as contributions or are you simply earning the royalties and using the money you made from authoring the book to make personal contributions to your campaign?) In any case, thank you for your response and I look forward to hearing more of your positions on Education in the near future.

Spotlight: John Cox

John Cox is the former Chair of the Cook County Republican Party and several times failed candidate for national elected office. On his website he focus on 18 issues, with education coming in at #16:

• The War in Iraq, Tax Policy, The Illegal Immigration Crisis, Protecting our Second Amendment Rights, National Security, Standing for Life, Government Spending, Traditional Values, Religious Freedom, Standing for the Traditional Family and for Marraige, Social Security and Government Transfer Spending, Regulation and Tort Reform, Reforming Politics, Health Care, Energy and the Environment, Education, Agriculture, Free but Fair Trade

Overall he dedicates the following 71 words to education:

• The government school monopoly is the problem. Competition is the answer, not more money, which has doubled after inflation in the past 20 years without much improvement in test scores. Turn parents into consumers with vouchers, which are Constitutional and do not lose money for public schools because the child is no longer there to create expenses. Education is a local and state issue. No Child Left Behind should be repealed.

Analysis: Cox believes the federal government should stay out of education as it is a state and local issue, however, he is in support of vouchers as the solution to the "problem" which he references but doesn't define. In line with his view of who is responsible edcuation, he calls for NCLB to be repealed (and one would assume Title I, etc). No research is referenced and, with the exception of NCLB, no problems are specifically mentioned and no specific implementation steps are offered. Although this candidate doesn't believe education should be a national responsibility, I hope he understands its national importance and provides more infomation on this issue in the near future.

Interesting Observation: Almost every page of his campaign site has a link to purchase his new book, Politics, Inc. Is this a serious presidential campaign or marketing campaign?

Other Election08 Blogs

For those interested in the 08 race in general, check out 08 Presidential Candidates, Political Analysis. With over 35 posts since its start on February 5th there is plenty of information to sink your teeth in. I've created a new link section on the sidebar for other Election08 blogs, so if you know of any others I should add let me know!

Update: Several other blogs added to the sidebar. Check back frequently as this list will grow!

Hillary Clinton's Website Lacks Education Policy. Period.

Following my plan to analyze candidates in alphabetical order, switching back and forth between Democrats and Republicans, I landed today on Hillary Clinton. After a thorough search of her website, I found no pages dedicated to her policy stances on different issues. So I looked harder, looking at her press releases, speeches and HillCast videos. But despite all my searching, I didn't find a single word on education on her site. The closest thing to a statement of positions are her HillCast videos, and so far she has only published clips focusing on Children's Health Care, Our Troops, Equal Pay, Energy and Iraq Roadmap. In terms of speeches, she address Government Reform, Labor, Civil Rights, Iran, Iraq, Foreign Policy, Voting Rights, Privacy, Social Justice, Women's Rights, Energy Policy, and Economic Plan. I'm sure somewhere burried in all of that I could find portions of her position on education, but it shouldn't require all of this searching to figure out what a candidate stands for or intends to do if elected. I hope others will be as frustrated as I am and put pressure on the campaign to make her policy positions on Education more clear.

Closer Look: Sam Brownback

Introduction: Today we take a closer look at the education policies offered by Sam Brownback, Republican Candidate for President and a current U.S. Senator from Kansas.

On his website 15 Issues are listed:

• Agriculture, Culture and Values, Education, Energy, Gun Rights, Human Rights, Iraq, Israel, Life, Marriage, New Homestead Act, Reforming the UN, Religious Liberty, Social Security, Taxes

Education Policies: Only one deals with eduction and on the page displaying the text of each issue, the text about education comes dead last. Brownback spends only the following 133 words on Education:

When we ignore poorly performing schools, we also ignore every student in those schools, thereby allowing an achievement gap to persist. It is imperative that we close the achievement gap and provide our nation’s students with a productive learning environment that challenges and encourages intellectual stimulation. I believe that providing for choice in education is beneficial to student achievement. For years now, we have seen studies that prove school choice programs, such as the new Opportunity Scholarships recently implemented in the District of Columbia, have a drastic and positive impact on students—especially minority students. By supporting such initiatives, we will be ensuring that more students have access to a high quality education, which means that they will have a better chance of success in not only reaching college, but flourishing in
life.

Buzzwords: "achievement gap," "school choice"

Analysis: Great focus on our nations failing schools (the so called "achievement gap"), admitting the problem is step one. Suggests research shows school choice has "drastic and and positive effects" -- this kind of research based positioning is great, but some references to the studies should be included. By being vague the argument for choice is far weaker -- wording like "studies show" or "statistics say" may be the meat and potatoes of stump speeches, but in an online age we should be able to easily fact check for ourself by following a link. Next, Brownback uses DC's Opportunity Scholarships program (a federally funded voucher program for the poor that allows students to attend faith-based institutions) as an example of what could work for the nation. Again, links to the success of this program would strengthen the argument rather than counting on undecided voters to simply believe your campaign literature on faith alone. Finally, Brownback focuses on how closing the achievement gap will help all students get to college and "florish in life." The minor details of affording college and the quality of colleges is left out all together and the idea of improving schools other than through a competitive market place are no where to be found.

Conclusion: Brownback uses a simple and effective problem/solution model -- he first describes a problem (the achievement gap) and suggestions a solution (school choice/vouchers). He hints at proof of his solutions effectiveness, but falls short at explaining how his solution would be implemented. Overall, he focuses on solutions rather than fancy rhetoric, but the extremly small space dedicated to addressing the issue is not atequate for an issue of this size/importance and he does not leave room to address other issues within the educational realm. I look forward to hearing more specifics from this candidate, hopefully in the same problem/solution format with a few personal stories and links to research thrown in.

Up First, Joe Biden

Although it is early in the primary campaign, I think it is important to go ahead and start looking at candidates positions on education to spotlight them and track progress in the development of their policies. I intend to work down the lists alphabetically, alternating political affiliations, visiting one candidate’s website each day and reporting back. Once I’ve worked through them all, I will compare and contrast them and move forward from there.

First up is Joe Biden, the 64 year old Democratic Senator from Deleware. On his campaign website, ten issues are currently put forward on his agenda. They are (in the order presented on the website):

• Iraq, Afghanistan and Darfur, Energy, Jobs, Health Care, Access to Higher Education, Preparing for College, Homeland Security, Crime, Climate Change

All of the issues are presented on the same page with paragraph blurbs. Two issues (Iraq and Homeland Security) allow you to read further by following a link to their own pages. Two of the ten issues deal with education, namely, Access to Higher Education and Preparing for College coming in at #5 and #6 on the list. The issues receive 159 and 110 words respectively for a total of 269 words dedicated to issues in education. Before presenting further analysis, lets look at the treatment of the first issue:

Access to Higher Education
Joe Biden believes that every American should have access to higher education. In order to compete in a global economy the American workforce has to protect its edge in education. A college degree is more valuable than ever - and more expensive.
As a parent, Joe Biden knows how tuition costs drain family savings. He would expand help for families by increasing the tax deduction for tuition payments. He would expand Pell grants to cover the average tuition at public colleges for low income families.
Joe Biden believes that high school students should be engaged in planning and saving for college earlier in their careers so that students in their senior year are not overwhelmed by the process of applying to college and figuring out how to pay for it. He would expand national service programs to high school students so that they can earn money for college by participating in public service while they are in high school.

Point by Point Commentary:

• Every American should have access to higher education – great starting point.
• Education is necessary for American to remain globally competitive – agree.
• A college degree is more valuable then ever – not sure on that one, the market is flooded with degrees and it definitely depends where you got your degree, what kind of degree it is in and really, how much you learned from it. In today’s internet age, some of are most influential, wealthiest and famous Americans are without diplomas (think Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Tiger Woods, etc). But yes, for most of us … it is probably a good idea.
• College is expensive, more aid to low income students. – Ok, but overused.
• Create a national service program that pays students for public service in high school into college savings accounts – interesting idea, kind of like advance work study. But considering students number one job should be being good students, would this work mostly take place in the summers? What type of work would the be doing – hopefully not cleaning up streets, but I kind of like the idea of having them tutoring younger students or working in libraries. But overall, a couple hours here and there isn’t going to save you up enough to pay for a Harvard education and a public university education is already pretty affordable (well except for the social aspects of it).
• Overall … really only one off the beaten path idea. I don’t like that every paragraph contains “Joe Biden believes” or “Joe Biden knows” – as it just makes you feel like you are reading filler, which in the most case you are – everyone wants more student loans at lower rates so that more students can go to college, but stepping back for a moment – is it the cost of college that is really keeping the students that don’t go out or is it a lack of preparedness? As an innercity teacher who works in a district where 50% of high school freshman won’t graduate I tend to think the latter, but we will see if he touches on any of these issues in his second education issue…

Preparing for College
Over the past two decades we have made incredible strides in updating our education system. Fifteen years ago it would have been hard to imagine students linked through a high-tech video and high-speed internet network to other students and teachers across the country or teachers interacting with parents via email. New technology holds promise for our education system that we're only beginning to discover. But nothing is more essential than quality educators and engaged parents. Joe Biden believes that to fulfill the promise to leave no child behind we have to direct adequate resources to update schools, reduce class size and school size, reward quality educators, and improve teacher pay.

Point by point commentary

• We’ve updated our education system with technology – ok, but do we have the results to show for it?
• We can teleconference now, just imagine what is next. – This has nothing to do with you running for President and almost suggests that we should sit back and wait for technology to solve all of our problems. Kids dependent on calculators that can’t multiply two one digits numbers isn’t necessarily a great thing.
• But in the end, its good teachers and parents. – On this one, he is probably right … but what is a good teacher, how do we get more of them and what can the government do about getting parents engaged? Just saying we need all of this is great, but we need specific ideas here how to make it happen because just saying we need these things isn’t a new idea.
• Fulfill NCLB by spending money on schools, resources and teachers. – Resources are great but they have to come from somewhere. Additionally, there is that whole bigger concept that you won’t find the guarantee to a public education in the United States Constitution – but you will have to look to each states constitution instead. So the federal government can only really offer states money for meeting their demands, but each state is doing their own thing. A highly qualified teacher under NCLB, for example, varies from state to state because each state sets their own standards. Rattling off things like smaller class sizes are great, but just saying them is not enough – we have had enough rhetoric and need more action steps on how to get there.
  

Overall: Biden’s positions on education are, for the most part, non-specific with the exception of his public service plan for high school students to earn money for college. I look forward to more development of his ideas on his site as this issue is to important for the generic plans offered. Too much focus on college, not enough focus on our failing K-12 system.

Afterward: Biden being first was somewhat of a guinea pig as I am still figuring out how I want to go through these candidate’s issues, but I assure you I will be as tough on all of them. It is a learning process for me and hopefully others as we spend more time looking at one issue in particular – and don’t worry we will revisit each candidate later. It is my hope that all of this attention will hopefully encourage the campaigns to clarify their position on these very important issues and offer more specific implementation plans.

Comments are always welcome!

Update: After posting a link to this post on the official campaign Biden blog, the Biden campaign responded with:

Thanks, Ed, for your comments.
I hope you had a chance to view the video of Sen. Biden when he addressed the Conference On World Affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder this past weekend, where he mentioned several items of interest to students and parents: renewed funding for student loans and Pell Grants, programs that would forgive student loans. It was a very wide-ranging and comprehensive speech.
In Reno, Nevada, where the Senator recently participated in AFSCME’s 2008 Democratic Candidate Forum, people in the audience were interviewed as they left the auditorium:
Kerstin Wolle, Gardnerville: “I was very impressed with Senator Biden. He expressed himself well. He was to the point. I liked his emphasis on education.” Cindy Trigg, Lake Tahoe: “I really appreciate Biden’s passion for education.” Darhyl Vann, Las Vegas: “Biden: I consider him a ’solutions’ guy.”
Stay tuned to www.JoeBiden.com for more issues and the latest developments in the Biden campaign!– Erin Medlicott