Clinton on NCLB in Chicago

Thanks to Richard Whitmire for noting the ed nugget in last night's Democratic debate/forum sponsored by the AFL-CIO.
During the outdoor candidate confab in Chicago, Hillary Clinton fielded a citizen-generated question on No Child Left Behind. She called the law "a terrible imposition on teachers and school districts and families and students," partly because of funding and partly because of interpretation. Clinton said the law was an unfunded mandate and was not interpreted or enforced "the right way" by Bush and the Department of Education. She advocated growth models for students, broader curricula and "a total change in No Child Left Behind." The best sound bite: "We need to make sure when we look at our children, we don't just see a little walking test."
All quotes from the debate transcript, a link to which can be found on the NYT Web site.

Chris Dodd: 'Community college for all'

No American should be denied a college education because of cost. So says Sen. Chris Dodd, the Connecticut Democrat who remains at the fringes of the Dem field.

Dodd released his higher education platform today (view his comments here) at the New Hampshire Community-Technical College in Manchester, NH. Here's what he wants to do (in the word of his press release):

• Ending Corporate Welfare on Student Loans: The Dodd Plan will end the outdated corporate subsidies for banks and increase competition for lower interest rates on student loans by requiring banks to compete in a federally run auction to offer federal student loans. Excessive profits at the expense of the taxpayer will be eliminated and redirected to student aid so that college is more affordable for young Americans and their families.
• Community College for All: The Dodd plan will partner with states to subsidize in-state tuition at public community colleges for students earning credit towards an associate’s degree. The Dodd plan will match dollar for dollar any tuition reduction offered by the state. Under this plan community college can be free for every American.
• Raising the Pell Grant: The Dodd plan will increase the Pell Grant by $100 each year to ensure that qualified, hard working low- and moderate-income students can afford college without taking out an exorbitant amount of student loans. In a Dodd Administration, students will not be shut out of college because of cost.
• Putting a Spotlight on the Skyrocketing Cost of Tuition: A Dodd Administration will use the power of the Presidency to bring to light schools whose tuition unreasonably outpaces inflation. By annually publishing a tuition inflation index and a list of colleges and universities whose tuition exceeds it, Chris Dodd believes we can provide students and families with a better idea of how much they can expect to pay for higher education while encouraging schools to act responsibly.
• Protecting Students from Unscrupulous Lenders: President Dodd will continue his leadership on this issue by extending new protections to private student loans in order to improve transparency, prevent unfair and deceptive private lending practices and eliminate conflicts of interest.

Dodd plans to release his K-12 platform tomorrow at the New Hampshire NEA meeting.

Photo credit: Stamford, Conn., Democrats

Excuse me, Mr. Obama?

Want to know what a presidential candidate thinks about No Child Left Behind? Here's a way to find out that's not as hard as you might think this early in the campaign -- walk up to them at a campaign stop and ask.

That's exactly what Mike Petrilli of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation did. Petrilli gives play-by-play of his interaction with Obama in Fordam's weekly online newsletter The Gadfly.

Petrilli was on vacation in New Hampshire when he spotted a flyer for an Obama whistle stop nearby. So he went.

Obama took a couple shots at NCLB in his speech and afterward Petrilli got in a line to meet the candidate. Minutes later, he was face-to-face with Obama and asked what he would do to make NCLB better?

Petrilli said Obama sized him up and said his goal would be to improve the education law by getting "buy in" from teachers. He spends the rest of his essay detailing the reasons why "teacher buy in" is, in his view, the wrong thing for Obama to be focused on, equating teacher buy in to teacher union buy in. Check it out.

Note: This post also appears on my education blog, Get on the Bus

(Image credit: Chicago Tribune)

McCain on immigration (and higher education?)

Immigration is one of Republican presidential hopeful John McCain's signature issues, and his about-face on the subject in early August may have implications for higher education. The Associated Press reported Aug. 2 that McCain had reversed an earlier position on illegal immigration, saying he now supports a bill that would impose strict rules to end illegal immigration and would not provide a path to citizenship. Earlier he had supported comprehensive reforms that could lead to citizenship. The AP makes no specific references to higher education, but last year, McCain was among 48 Senate co-sponsors of a bill that would eliminate barriers to higher education for undocumented students. Under that bill, first introduced in 2001, students who finish high school and at least two years of college could obtain permanent legal residency. They also could qualify for in-state tuition rates. The House never took up the proposal. It's a hot-button issue in McCain's home state of Arizona. The Arizona Republic Aug. 2 cited legislative data showing that nearly 5,000 people have been denied in-state college tuition, financial aid and adult education classes this year under a new state law banning undocumented immigrants from receiving those state-funded services.

Thompson/Huckabee

Hello, my name is Frank Schultz, and I have agreed to track the education positions – or lack thereof – of GOP candidates Tommy Thompson and Mike Huckabee.
I am a reporter at the small but feisty Janesville Gazette in southern Wisconsin and can well remember Richard Nixon being my president for what seemed like a very long time.
Tommy Thompson was my governor for even longer than that, which is why I volunteered to cover these also-rans.
Huckabee and Thompson have much in common:
-- Not much campaign cash.
-- Both former governors who point with pride to their educational intiatives while they ran their respective state houses.
-- Both need a good showing in the Iowa GOP’s straw poll on Saturday (Aug. 11).
This assignment has me musing: How about a Tom and Huck ticket? The Mississippi does roll past both their states, one in the North, one in the South.
Mark Twain himself, however, would add words of caution, such as these from 1876:
“History has tried hard to teach us that we can't have good government under politicians. Now, to go and stick one at the very head of the government couldn't be wise.”
Feel free to e-mail me with thoughs about Tom and Huck at fschultz@gazetteextra.com

Others question lack of focus on education in campaign

Others are getting into the act on the candidates' lack of focus on education during the campaign. The latest foray (subscription only) comes from Arthur Levine, president emeritus of Teachers College at Columbia University, and now president of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation.

In a commentary on the back page of Education Week, he noted that education received less than 33 minutes in the first 12 hours of debate that has been aired. "To permit education to fall off the national agenda today is to accept weak and inequitable schools," he writes in his column.

Levine makes mention of EWA's invitation to candidates to speak about their positions on education. As of today, no candidate has accepted an interview date.

Clinton and charter schools

It pays to read education blogs -- one of my "guilty pleasures" -- especially when one is catching up on presidential contenders and their views on education. Over at eduwonk.com, guest blogger Sara Mead posted an entry July 31 noting the frustration of ed policy people over the Dems. lukewarm promotion of ed reform. Not aggressive enough, apparently. Mead linked to a July 3 NY Sun story about Hillary Clinton's NEA speech, which combined support for charter schools with opposition for vouchers. The latter would be an end to public education and an erosion of democracy, Clinton said in the story. But charters are okay, as long as they are held to the same standards as public schools, and "do not drain the financial resources of public schools." Interesting comment, as charter schools are public schools.
For those interested in the story, here's the link: http://www.nysun.com/article/57753
-- Cathy Grimes