From the convention: Will private schools even take voucher students?
Expanding school choice is a central piece of Mitt Romney’s education platform. But allowing more public dollars to follow low-income and special-needs children to private schools — one of Romney’s main proposals for reforming American education– does not guarantee those schools will open their doors to them. For example, a private school not far from […]
From the convention: Condoleezza Rice talks educational ‘crisis’
Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice joined a long list of politicians—including both Mitt Romney and President Obama—describing education as the “civil rights issue of our day” in her speech at the Republican National Convention Wednesday night. “We need to give parents greater choice—particularly poor parents—whose kids, very often minorities, are trapped in failing neighborhood […]
From the convention: Local control versus national standards
One of the starkest differences between Republican and Democratic education platforms came to light in a series of panels that focused on two issues that presumably concern the millennial generation most: jobs and education. At “Conversations with the Next Generation,’’ Republican voices clamored for more local control of schools and less federal government mandates, while […]
From the convention: GOP platform considers school choice a ‘consumer right’
The Republican Party voted on its official platform Tuesday, calling for more local control and less government spending in education. The platform is similar to Mitt Romney’s proposed education policies in many ways, including a plan for federal money to follow low-income and special-needs students to the school – public or private – that they […]
From the convention: Education and the first night’s speakers
The theme Tuesday night for the Republican National Convention was “We Built It,” and speakers stuck to a script focused on jobs, the economy and the importance of small business—with very little mention of education. When the topic was broached, it was to draw a clear line between Republicans and Democrats, who often share more […]
From the convention: Education reform will require ‘getting ready for a fight’
Former D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle Rhee called for classroom teachers unhappy with the system to brace themselves for battle. She spoke during a panel following the showing of “Won’t Back Down,” a film to be released this fall about a parent and teacher fighting to take over a failing school. “There is a difference in […]
From the convention: American Federation for Children and the push for school choice
Republicans in Tampa did more Tuesday than tally the state roll call. The party also voted on its official platform for the rest of the campaign season. In education, the GOP platform spells out its support for school choice, “whether through charter schools, open enrollment requests, college lab schools, virtual schools, career and technical education […]
From the convention: What would happen to education under Obama or Romney administrations?
The Obama campaign has recently begun highlighting the differences between his education agenda and that of Mitt Romney. Will these new talking points be a theme at the Republican and Democratic nominating conventions? The Hechinger Report will be on the ground in Tampa and Charlotte to find out. Up until last week, education was rarely […]
Ed in the Election: New York group tries to tie Romney to anti-union group
A New York-based group released a report this week trying to tie Mitt Romney to StudentsFirstNY, an education organization known for opposing teachers unions and supporting Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s often controversial education policies. StudentsFirstNY is a local offshoot of a national organization founded in 2010 by Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of the District of Columbia […]
Ed in the Election: Where does Paul Ryan stand on education issues?
Mitt Romney’s pick of Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) as his vice presidential candidate over the weekend offers new clues about what a Romney administration could mean for federal education policy. Although Ryan hasn’t made education a signature issue during his seven terms in Congress, he believes the federal government should cut back its involvement in […]
