The Politics of Education
Dateline: 1/17/00Unbelievably, the presidential election of the Year 2000 is already well underway, with eight candidates in two political parties exchanging words and ideas on the most important issues of the new millennium. Most observers would concede that there are really only four major candidates at this point in time: George W. Bush and John McCain for the Republicans and Bill Bradley and Vice President Al Gore for the Democrats.
In the next week, the Iowa Caucus and New Hampshire Primary will be held, taking the nation one step closer to the two-candidate presidential race that will conclude in November 2000. This article is the first in a series of articles that will focus on Education in relation to the presidential elections of the year 2000. Education Reform has already been a major issue in the debates so far and we can only assume that its importance will grow as the candidates aim to position themselves as the best president to heal our ailing public school system.
But, what are the real differences between the candidates? In general, how do Democrats and Republicans differ in this area? Sometimes it's hard to tell with all of the buzzwords and rhetoric that come along with political discussion. Here's one way to look at it, in plain old English, from your Elementary School Educators Guide:
Democrats vs. Republicans
In general, Republicans aim to give more decision-making control back to local communities and school boards, trusting them to make the best choices for their local population and needs. In contrast, Democrats offer many large-scale plans to be implemented at the Federal level to make broad improvements to the field of education.
The other major difference is that Republicans strongly support the implementation of school vouchers, offering parents the opportunity to move their children from failing public schools to private institutions. Democrats insist that the nation should not give up on our public schools and that voucher programs would further ruin many public schools, rather than giving them the concrete help that they need. Republicans, on the other hand, assert that competition would benefit the public school system, forcing them to focus on quality and improve quality drastically. Just two days ago, the Republican party officially announced that Education is a top priority for their political party.
But, how do the individual candidates measure up?
Read on for more about Bradley vs. Bush vs. Gore vs. McCain
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