ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

– "There may be more to learn from climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains."
–Richard Nelson

EDUCATION AS AN ELECTION ISSUE

In the past week, the New York Times reported on how educational issues were in play during the last election:

First, in an article entitled, "G.O.P. Foresees Expansion of Party Themes on Education", the times reported: "Republicans, in control of both houses of Congress, say they do not anticipate major shifts in education policy, or a review of the signature No Child Left Behind Act. But they do envision expanding on some of the Republican Party's themes included in the act, particularly an increased emphasis on tracking the success or failure of education programs through standardized testing."
Second, in "The Education Election," the Times noted..."While political analysts saw the elections as a show of support for the Bush administration, there was another clear message in the balloting: voters still care about education. In state after state, voters showed strong support for smaller classes, after-school programs, college scholarships, school construction and universal preschool, even when the price tag was daunting and there was no clear source for the money."

Finally in an editorial "Does It Work?" the Times opined..."The phrase "scientifically based research" occurs more than 100 times in the Bush administration's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Though the act is perhaps best known for requiring every state to test annually in English and math, its passage may ultimately be recalled as the moment when education came to be treated more like medicine -- a science that advances according to the findings of impartial research -- than moral philosophy or folk wisdom."