1) Early Childhood Education

1) EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

OBAMA, Given the impact of early childhood education on student success over time, Obama has proposed $10 billion in additional investment in early childhood education from birth to age 5. This includes flexible funding for states to build on their existing efforts to create comprehensive plans and systems for quality early childhood education -- including enough funding for interested states to make quality preschool available for all low-income 3 and 4 year-olds. It includes additional funding for Head Start and quadrupling funding for Early Head Start. This also includes investments in quality child care through tax credits, grants, and quality improvements.

MCCAIN. McCain has proposed no early childhood education policies or investments on his presidential campaign.

2) TEACHING PROFESSIONALISM AND EXCELLENCE

OBAMA. Obama's most substantial K-12 policy reform and investment is to ensure effective teachers and outstanding school leaders across America. His multi-billion new investment provides grants to help school systems recruit,

train, retain, and reward teachers and school leaders -- and to create career ladders and provide more pay and support for effective veteran teachers who serve as mentors and coaches, effective teachers who teach in underserved schools and subject areas, for teachers to improve their knowledge and skills, and for teachers and school leaders who drive substantial gains in student learning and demonstrate effective teaching practice. Systems would provide mentoring for beginning teachers while identifying ineffective and struggling teachers, providing them with individual help and support, and removing them from the classroom in a quick and fair way if they still underperform. This plan would also attract and prepare tens of thousands of new teachers by creating Teacher Service Scholarships for those who serve in a high-need location or subject area for at least four years, by offering high quality alternative routes to certification, and by reforming schools of education including requiring them to track, report and use data on teacher and principal placement, retention, and student achievement to improve their programs.

MCCAIN. McCain has proposed no new federal funding to improve teaching. McCain would reallocate existing federal resources in the Title II Teacher and Principal Recruitment and Training Fund. 60 percent of this existing funding would be directed by school principals to "bonuses for high-performing teachers in the most challenging educational settings, teachers in subjects like math or science, and for teachers who demonstrate student improvement". 25 percent of this existing funding would go "to states for recruiting teachers in the top 25 percent of their class or who participate in an alternative teacher recruitment program...or excellent university initiative.". 35 percent of this existing funding would "be directed to the school level so principals and teachers could focus these resources on the specific needs of their schools."

3) EQUITY IN INVESTMENTS

OBAMA. In addition to making large investments in early childhood education, college affordability, and the improvement of teacher quality for high-need students, Obama also has proposed substantial increases for public schools in extended learning time, effective use of technology, improved middle and high schools, and drop-out prevention programs.

MCCAIN. McCain has proposed no new funding targeting public schools, no new funding for college aid or college affordability, and no new funding for early childhood education.

McCain has proposed an increase of less than one percent of the federal education budget. Nearly all of that would go to states that expand online education and help low-income students "pay for online tutors or enroll in

virtual schools.". The remaining $7 million would expand the school voucher program only in WashingtonDC. He has also proposed reallocating $500 million of existing federal funds to "build new virtual schools and support the development

of online course offerings.".

4) PUBLIC SCHOOL CHOICE AND CHARTERSCHOOLS

OBAMA. Obama proposed today doubling funding for the federal charter school program as well as creating an Innovative Schools fund to create a "portfolio" of successful public schools through support for planning and limited capital costs. He proposed channeling more charter school funding to states with track records of achievement, expanding successful charter schools to serve more students, and closing down chronically underperforming charter schools. He also proposed channeling more charter funding to communities with students trapped in underperforming schools.

MCCAIN. McCain has not proposed any policies or investments to support charter schools or expand parental choice within the public school system. He has proposed replacing local school system and state roles in administering federal "Supplemental Educational Services" funds with more robust responsibilities for the U.S. Department of Education under a McCain Administration. Under the McCain plan, the U.S. Department of Education would directly allocate federal funding to tutoring companies instead of to local school systems. McCain also proposed permitting those tutoring programs to "bypass" certification by their local school system or state and instead "receive direct federal certification" from the federal government.

5) ACCOUNTABILITY AND FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE

OBAMA. Obama says that the NCLB "goals are right ones" on accountability for closing the achievement gap. Obama proposed today strengthening accountability for the federal government in education by making federal education programs more performance-based. He called for using performance metrics - including student achievement, college and high school graduation rates, and other outcome indicators - to evaluate federal education programs, expand successful programs, and reform or cut funding for underperforming programs.

He proposed a federal "Invest in What Works" initiative to put into action a recommendation of our country's innovation leaders, mayors, and educators. Obama will double investment in educational R and D by the end of his first term with a portion of this investment devoted to commissioning a blue-ribbon private sector panel of premier business leaders, educators, researchers, and others to make recommendations to the Secretary of Education on successful programs and innovations across the country that should be scaled. The panel will also be charged with making those successful practices and lessons learned universally available.

MCCAIN. McCain's accountability policy on his website says "there should be an emphasis on standards and accountability. However, our goal cannot be on group averages."

6) HIGH QUALITY STANDARDS AND ASSESSMENT SYSTEMS

OBAMA. Says he'd work with “nation’s governors and educators to create and use assessments that can improve achievement all across America by including the kinds of research, scientific investigation, and problem-solving that our children will need to compete in a 21st century knowledge economy.”

MCCAIN. McCain has not proposed specific policies or investments related to standards and assessments. His plan so far would leave in place current No Child Left Behind standards and assessments.

7) NATIONAL SERVICE AND SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS SUPPORTING EDUCATION

OBAMA. Has proposed expanding Americorps to 250,000 and a significant portion to education, doubling the size of the Peace Corps, and setting a goal that all middle and high school students will do 50 hours of community service a year. He will expand programs like YouthBuild that help at risk students receive their high school diploma while engaged in service and adjust college work study programsso that 25% of work study hours are spent toward service. Obama has linked this service ethic to support for college access by linking the $4,000 per year college tax credit to an expectation of service and by creating teacher service scholarships that will provide up to $25,000 per year to students who want to serve their country as teachers. In an effort to support entrepreneurship and innovation in the social sector Obama has called for a Social Investment Fund to seed and support effective organizations and for a Social Entrepreneurship Agency within the Corporation for National Service.

MCCAIN. While Senator McCain initially opposed the creation

of the Americorps program in 1993, he subsequently became an Americorps

supporter and co-sponsored legislation to expand it. But neither McCain as a

presidential candidate nor his recently approved Republican Party platform have

called for an expansion of national service. (See "Does John McCain Still Support National Service?" by Steven Waldman on 9/2/08 on blog.beliefnet.com/stevenwaldman/2008/09/does-john-mccain-still-support.html)

8) CHILDREN'S HEALTH

OBAMA:

Obama will require that every child has health care coverage and he has proposed expanding SCHIP programs as well expanding options for coverage for young adults, including allowing them to remain on their parents health care plan up until age 25.

MCCAIN: McCain has proposed a $5000 tax credit for families to offset cost of

insurance.

9) COLLEGE ACCESS

OBAMA. Obama has proposed creating a new and fully refundable tax credit worth $4,000 for tuition and fees every year, which will cover two-thirds of the tuition at the average public college or university. He has also called to make financial aid more available to more children by eliminating the current financial aid process altogether and replacing it with a box parents can check on their tax form. Obama has also committed to rewarding colleges and universities that graduate more students as a way of showing that colleges must share in the accountability for our children’s education. He has proposed that we create a Community College Partnership Programto help vocational and technical schools more effectively link their skills training to the professions that recruit their students. Because these community colleges educate half the undergraduates in America each year Obama has also supported expanding new degree programs for emerging fields.

MCCAIN - McCain has proposed no new funding to make college more affordable.

He has proposed "simplifying the existing benefits" in higher education,

"consolidating (federal financial aid) programs to help simplify the

administration of these programs", and "an expansion of the lender

of-last-resort capability of the federal student loan system."

- McCain has proposed no policies or investments to improve college graduation

rates. He has said that information that higher education "institutions report

on to the U.S. Government ever year" should be "available to families in a clear

and concise manner."

10) PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY AND INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION

OBAMA: Obama has repeatedly said that it is the shared responsibility of parents and educators to make every child successful, “there is no program and no policy that can substitute for a parent who is involved in their child's education from day one.” To support parental responsibility and involvement Obama has called for doubling the funding for high quality charter schools as well as supporting states that cultivate high quality charter schools as well as close down low performing ones. He has also proposed encouraging schools to adopt clear behavioral expectations and share these with parents through teacher/student/parent contracts.

MCCAIN. Other than his proposals for school vouchers in Washington

DC and his proposal to shift to the federal government greater responsibility for

"Supplemental Education Services", McCain has not proposed specific policies to

promote parental responsibility and involvement in education.