McCain: gives standard Republican answer. (school choice, reward good teachers, charter schools, etc.)....ribs Giuliani by noting that one of his successor's school chancellors is doing well in reforming NYC schools...
Giuliani: standard Republican answer.
Hunter: "Jaime Escalante."
Role of federal government?
Romney: "Education is an important topic, and the president was right to fight for No Child Left Behind. " Same effort in Massachusetts. Gives detailed answer. Federal standards, he supports.
Huckabee: "The whole role of education is a state issue. The worst thing we can do is to shift more ... authority to the federal government, when it needs to go to the states." Calls for more arts funding.
Keyes: "We allowed the judges to drive judges to drive God out of our schools."
Thompson: "The NEA." (Huckabee just accepted their endorsement, but Thompson didn't point that out..."
| 
Huckabee's answer contradicted an answer he gave at a high shcool in New Hampshire a few months ago.
"When asked by a student if he supports federally mandated testing, Huckabee invoked the Red Sox. He asked the students how many had watched the previous night's game. Hands shot up. Then he asked if they would have minded if nobody kept score.
"You wouldn't go to the football game or the basketball game or the baseball game and say, 'Just turn the scoreboard off,' " Huckabee said. "And neither could we realistically say we're really interested in improving the quality of education, but we're not going to keep score. So do we need tests? Yes." (Concord Monitor Oct. 20, 2007)
From his website he also said, "We need to test teachers as well as students, replace teachers who aren't competent, and impose reasonable waiting periods for teachers to gain tenure."
How can Huckabee say at the same time that it is a state issue in a debate and then on your webiste say that your for teacher and student tests?
The final paragraph of his website is a contradiction,
"As President, my education agenda will include working towards a clear distinction between the federal role in assisting and empowering states and in usurping the right of states to carry out the education programs for their students. While there is value in the "No Child Left Behind" law's effort to set high national standards, states must be allowed to develop their own benchmarks."
There is NO federal role for education. The tenth amendment assures us of that. Huckabee seems confused about what a Federalist is. Providing money to the states and NCLB national standards make it difficult for the states to develop their own benchmarks. If they want the money they have to do it the feds way.
Huckabee's rhetoric sounds conservative, but his policies are not. Is it any wonder that they NEA of New Hampshire has endorsed him? They don't endorse conservatives by the way.
Posted by Spunky | December 12, 2007 3:13 PM