Education
Do you support Common Core national standards?
Do you support charter schools?
We agree with the 2016 Democratic Party Platform:
"As we make college affordable for future students, we will not forget about the millions of borrowers with unsustainable levels of student debt, who need help right now. [We] will allow those who currently have student debt to refinance their loans at the lowest rates possible. We will simplify and expand access to income-based repayment so that no student loan borrowers ever have to pay more than they can afford. And we will significantly cut interest rates for future undergraduates because we believe that making college more affordable is more important than the federal government making billions of dollars in profit off those loans. Democrats will also fight for a student borrower bill of rights to ensure borrowers get adequate information about options to avoid or get out of delinquency or default. We will hold lenders and loan servicers to high standards to help borrowers in default rehabilitate and repay their debts."
"We will go after for-profits that engage in deceptive marketing, fraud, and other illegal activities. We will continue to crack down on for-profit schools that take millions in federal financial aid— often as their principal source of revenue--and then exploit students and burden them with debt rather than educating them. That is why we will strengthen the gainful employment rule to ensure that for-profit schools enable students to complete their degrees and prepare them for practices. We will also exercise our responsibility in oversight over the Department of Education to carry out their obligation to close down those for-profit schools that consistently engage in fraudulent and illegal conduct. It is unacceptable that for-profit schools with low graduation rates keep encouraging their students to take out federal loans they will have trouble paying back. Therefore, to the maximum extent possible, we will also encourage widespread relief and the forgiveness of debt to those students harmed by the practices of fraudulent institutions."
"Finally, [We] will restore the prior standard in bankruptcy law to allow borrowers with student loans to be able to discharge their debts in bankruptcy as a measure of last resort."
We agree with the 2016 Republican Party Platform:
"Education is much more than schooling. It is the whole range of activities by which families and communities transmit to a younger generation, not just knowledge and skills, but ethical and behavioral norms and traditions. It is the handing over of a cultural identity. That is why American education has, for the last several decades, been the focus of constant controversy, as centralizing forces from outside the family and community have sought to remake education in order to remake America. They have done immense damage. The federal government should not be a partner in that effort, as the Constitution gives it no role in education."
"Parents are a child’s first and foremost educators, and have primary responsibility for the education of their children. Parents have a right to direct their children’s education, care, and upbringing. We support a constitutional amendment to protect that right from interference by states, the federal government, or international bodies such as the United Nations. We reject a one- size-fits-all approach to education and support a broad range of choices for parents and children at the state and local level."
"We likewise repeat our long-standing opposition to the imposition of national standards and assessments, encourage the parents and educators who are implementing alternatives to Common Core, and congratulate the states which have successfully repealed it. Their education reform movement calls for choice-based, parent-driven accountability at every stage of schooling. It rejects excessive testing and “teaching to the test” and supports the need for strong assessments to serve as a tool so teachers can tailor teaching to meet student needs."
"We need new systems of learning to compete with traditional four-year schools: Technical institutions, online universities, life-long learning, and work-based learning in the private sector. Public policy should advance their affordability, innovation, and transparency and should recognize that a four-year degree from a brick-and-mortar institution is not the only path toward a prosperous and fulfilling career."
"We support options for learning, including home-schooling, career and technical education, private or parochial schools, magnet schools, charter schools, online learning, and early-college high schools."
We agree with the 2016 Constitutional Party Platform:
"WE SUPPORT THE PARENTAL RIGHT TO PROVIDE FOR THE EDUCATION OF THEIR CHILDREN:
- We support the unimpeded right of parents to provide for the education of their children in the manner they deem best, including home, private or religious.
- All legislation from any level of government that would interfere with or restrict that liberty should be opposed.
- Compulsory attendance laws should be repealed. Parents need not defy the law by refusing to send their children to schools of which they disapprove."
"WE SUPPORT ALTERNATIVE EDUCATION OPTIONS:
• We affirm the free market principles which drive improvement of education through non-traditional options such as internet- based schools, charter schools, Christian and private schools, as well as home schooling options.
WE CALL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
• There is no Constitutional provision that empowers the federal government to provide for and regulate the education of our children.
• All current federal legislation related to education should be repealed. No new federal laws subsidizing or regulating education should be enacted.
WE OPPOSE ANY FEDERAL CONTROL OVER THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
• Because control over education is now being relegated to departments other than the Department of Education, we clarify that no federal agency, department, board, or other entity may exercise jurisdiction over any aspect of children's upbringing. Education, training, and discipline of children are properly placed in the domain of their parents.
• Under no circumstances should the federal government be involved in national teacher certification, educational curricula, textbook selection, learning standards, comprehensive sex education, psychological and psychiatric research testing programs, and personnel.
WE OPPOSE THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (NCLB Act)and RACE TO THE TOP AND CALL FOR THEIR REPEAL BY CONGRESS:
• The NCLB Act is unconstitutional and imposes unfunded mandates on the states which not only encumber the states, but often tie their hands - prohibiting the states from making decisions about education and threatening the loss of federal monies if the states are non-compliant. Since the re-enactment of NCLB, grades have continued to fall and graduation rates have continued to plummet. Once the shining light on a hill for the world, our education system is in shambles.
WE CALL UPON THE LEGISLATURES OF THE STATES to exercise their sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to nullify the "No Child Left Behind" Act, and all regulations imposed by the Department of Education, and to reject federal monies for grades K-12."
• We affirm the free market principles which drive improvement of education through non-traditional options such as internet- based schools, charter schools, Christian and private schools, as well as home schooling options.
WE CALL FOR THE ELIMINATION OF THE FEDERAL DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION:
• There is no Constitutional provision that empowers the federal government to provide for and regulate the education of our children.
• All current federal legislation related to education should be repealed. No new federal laws subsidizing or regulating education should be enacted.
WE OPPOSE ANY FEDERAL CONTROL OVER THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN
• Because control over education is now being relegated to departments other than the Department of Education, we clarify that no federal agency, department, board, or other entity may exercise jurisdiction over any aspect of children's upbringing. Education, training, and discipline of children are properly placed in the domain of their parents.
• Under no circumstances should the federal government be involved in national teacher certification, educational curricula, textbook selection, learning standards, comprehensive sex education, psychological and psychiatric research testing programs, and personnel.
WE OPPOSE THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT (NCLB Act)and RACE TO THE TOP AND CALL FOR THEIR REPEAL BY CONGRESS:
• The NCLB Act is unconstitutional and imposes unfunded mandates on the states which not only encumber the states, but often tie their hands - prohibiting the states from making decisions about education and threatening the loss of federal monies if the states are non-compliant. Since the re-enactment of NCLB, grades have continued to fall and graduation rates have continued to plummet. Once the shining light on a hill for the world, our education system is in shambles.
WE CALL UPON THE LEGISLATURES OF THE STATES to exercise their sovereignty under the 10th Amendment to nullify the "No Child Left Behind" Act, and all regulations imposed by the Department of Education, and to reject federal monies for grades K-12."
We agree with the 2016 Libertarian Party Platform:
"[W]e would restore authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. Parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education."
We agree with Andrew Yang 2020:
"Education in America starts too late. There have been massive benefits shown to offering pre-kindergarten options to children throughout their lives, especially for those from low-income families. It also increases sociability, and it relieves the financial burden of finding daycare for families who struggle to afford it.
Pre-K and early childhood education have been proven to get kids off to a better start, and it also relieves families from having to find and pay for daycare for their children when they are 3 and 4. Other countries are investing in it, including China, and we need to as well for the good of our children and families and our long-term competitiveness as a country.
It seems we’re preparing our children for college earlier and earlier. College readiness is a driving force behind many educational decisions in this country. This has resulted in only 6% of American high school students being enrolled in a vocational program (in 2013), whereas comparable European nations have numbers closer to 50%.
For those that do start college, graduating isn’t a sure thing. 6 years after first enrolling, fewer than 60% of students have attained a degree. If you look at only open-admissions schools, the number drops to 32%. That represents a huge investment of money and time on the part of Americans that doesn’t lead them to a positive outcome.
On the other side, the underemployment rate for recent college grads is approaching 44%, and one-third end up in jobs that don’t require the degree they earned.
College is being over-prescribed in this country. Not everyone has an interest in obtaining a college degree, and there are many jobs out there that don’t require it. Georgetown has estimated that there are 30 million good-paying jobs out there that don’t require a college degree. Most require some type of specialized training.
As a country, we need to dramatically increase our investment in vocational training, providing a viable career path for those students who are more interested in starting their careers immediately after high school instead of continuing with an education they don’t want but feel obligated to get.
There are tens of millions of jobs that will be with us for decades that don’t require a college degree: machinists, line repair, air-conditioning repair, exterminator, high-end manufacturing, and so on. We need to remove any stigma from vocational education and dramatically increase its visibility and availability. Apprenticeships should be a big part of the future of education for millions of Americans that would give them a runway to a fulfilling livelihood.
One of the primary factors in educational outcomes is the quality of the teacher in the classroom. Most policies to improve teacher quality are focused on education and monitoring. While these policies have their places, there’s a more direct method to attracting people who will be strong teachers while also incentivizing those who are currently teaching to improve: pay them more.
Teacher salaries should be higher, along with the hiring standards and quality expectations. By improving the quality of teacher in our public education system and incentivizing them to improve their craft, educational outcomes will improve.
It’s been demonstrated that teacher quality is the key factor in student success, and paying teachers more is an effective way to get more talented people into the classroom. We should reduce layers of administration in schools and apply the money to pay teachers at higher levels, particularly those who have proven track records and results."
We agree with the For a People's Party Platform:
"Make public education free from pre-kindergarten through college. Move away from standardized testing. Teach critical thinking, creativity, inquisitiveness, skepticism, cooperation, and participatory learning over memorization and obedience. In a world where information can be accessed instantly on the web, analyzing information is more important than memorizing it."
Education is a personal issue that is best handled on the state and local level.
Education should only be a federal issue when educational services are provided across state lines and thus become subject to the rules governing inter-state commerce.
Empowering families to access the learning environments that will best help their children to realize their full potential is one of the greatest challenges of our time. A young person’s ability to succeed in school must be based on his or her talent and motivation. It should not depend upon where they live or upon their family's status.
Education should only be a federal issue when educational services are provided across state lines and thus become subject to the rules governing inter-state commerce.
Empowering families to access the learning environments that will best help their children to realize their full potential is one of the greatest challenges of our time. A young person’s ability to succeed in school must be based on his or her talent and motivation. It should not depend upon where they live or upon their family's status.
ORGANIZATIONS:
US Student Association (USSA)
Works to build grassroots power among students to win concrete victories that expand access to education at the federal, state, and campus level.
Parents For Public Schools (PPS)
A national organization of community-based chapters working to strengthen public schools through broad-based enrollment, that is, ensuring public schools attract ALL families in a community by making sure ALL schools effectively serve ALL children.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
A national policy-research and reform-support organization focused on improving conditions and outcomes in urban schools, especially those serving disadvantaged children.
Alliance for Excellent Education
A policy, advocacy, and research organization created to help middle and high school students receive an excellent education, especially the 6 million most at-risk students — those most likely to leave school without a diploma or to graduate unprepared for a productive future.
Institute on Education and the Economy (IEE)
An interdisciplinary policy research center based at Teachers College, Columbia University, which examines the interaction between educational reform and economic change.
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
Works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers, and schools is fair, open, valid, and educationally beneficial.
Works to build grassroots power among students to win concrete victories that expand access to education at the federal, state, and campus level.
Parents For Public Schools (PPS)
A national organization of community-based chapters working to strengthen public schools through broad-based enrollment, that is, ensuring public schools attract ALL families in a community by making sure ALL schools effectively serve ALL children.
Annenberg Institute for School Reform
A national policy-research and reform-support organization focused on improving conditions and outcomes in urban schools, especially those serving disadvantaged children.
Alliance for Excellent Education
A policy, advocacy, and research organization created to help middle and high school students receive an excellent education, especially the 6 million most at-risk students — those most likely to leave school without a diploma or to graduate unprepared for a productive future.
Institute on Education and the Economy (IEE)
An interdisciplinary policy research center based at Teachers College, Columbia University, which examines the interaction between educational reform and economic change.
National Center for Fair & Open Testing
Works to end the misuses and flaws of standardized testing and to ensure that evaluation of students, teachers, and schools is fair, open, valid, and educationally beneficial.
CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEES:
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
