Tuesday, April 8, 2008

McCain's Education Campaign

http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy-um.researchport.umd.edu/ehost/detail?vid=5&hid=21&sid=6d42ce2a-18db-48a5-9c59-cc98b0d94865%40sessionmgr2

In Education Week, David Hoff discusses Senator McCain’s plan for education if he were to become the President. Education does not stand at the forefront of his campaign. In fact it is buried deep within his webpage. But once accessed it discusses the importance of choice, accountability, and teacher quality. He finds it very important to hold schools accountable for the results that they produce. After all he sees it as their job to provide a proper education to students. McCain also wants to rewards character-building teachers. These all seem like good ideas but he struggles to turn them into actual policy. McCain is more known for prioritizing defense and federal spending. This summarizes some public opinion of him, "I don't think he has a strong track record of putting education at the top of his priorities, said Frank Davidson, the superintendent of the 8,000-student Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Ariz.” The choices he has made to date show that he wants the federal government to have a limited role in K-12, but he does support special education with dollars. He sees choice, charter, and home school as providing necessary competition to make the school system as a whole successful.
I found this article to be very clear and organized, yet I was disappointed with what it had to say. I will admit that I am a John McCain supporter, but after reading this I worry that he may be too conservative on the issue of education. I find education and healthcare to be the two most important issues and he has put them on the back burner. Healthcare and education take place on our home soil and affect the present and the hopes of our future. I respect that he is putting forth dollars towards special education, but as Mr. Davidson suggests, he is not valuing education and the bright futures of young Americans enough.

1 comment:

AP said...

Drawing a connection between accessibility of information about education on McCain's website and his positions on the issue makes a point that is strong but not necessarily obvious to the casual observer. Nice.