Obama and McCain Lay Out Their Education Plans

Posted on July 29, 2008
Filed Under News, The Daily Prereq | By Mike Dang

Presidential contenders Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain sparred over affirmative action on Sunday, adding to the list of education policies the candidates plan on rolling out if they make it to the White House. According to Inside Higher Ed, during an appearance on the ABC News show “This Week,” McCain said he supports a ban on affirmative action being considered by Arizona voters this fall, because he does not believe in quotas. Obama made an appearance at the Unity ‘08 Conference for journalists of color, supporting affirmative action, minus a quota structure. Obama also said affirmative action would be ineffectual, since a large percentage of minority students dropping out of high school every year. In addition to affirmative action, both candidates have laid out their education campaign platforms. Check out some highlights that directly affect college students after the jump.

What: Maintaining the Cost of College
Obama’s Plan: The credit crunch has made it a tough year to be a student or parent paying for college, and both candidates have taken notice. Obama would like to introduce a tax bill that would make the first $4,000 of a student’s education free in exchange for 100 hours of community service. Although the plan would cost about $10 billion a year, Obama said he wants to overhaul the federal student loan program by having the U.S. Department of Education run the program instead of relying on banks and private lenders.
McCain’s Plan: McCain supports a big increase in Pell Grants that Congress approved for need-based students in 2007. He has also suggested expanding more low-interest loans for middle-class families struggling to keep up with increases in college tuition.

 

What: Training Teachers
Obama’s Plan: Obama is the first presidential candidate to propose that all schools of education must be accredited, and he would like findings to show which colleges are training teachers the best. He also promotes the national certification of teachers, mentoring programs for first-time teachers, and merit pay for awesome teachers. In addition, Obama would also like to double the size of the Peace Corps and expand other national service programs such as AmeriCorps.
McCain’s Plan: McCain also supports merit pay for teachers and would like to give bonuses for teachers working in troubled schools. He wants to recruit more top teachers who graduated from the top 25 percent of their class or participated in programs such as Teach for America.

 

What: The DREAM Act: The Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act, is a piece of proposed legislation that would give students who came into the country illegally before the age of 16 a pathway to permanent residency if they’ve lived in the U.S. for five years and completed two years of college or military service. If enacted, the DREAM Act would give undocumented students access to federal loans and work-study programs for the first time.
Obama’s Plan: Obama has consistently supported the DREAM Act, saying that undocumented children should not be punished and should be given the opportunity to earn a degree.
McCain’s Plan: McCain has been at odds with the DREAM Act, first supporting it, then, in order to repair ties with conservatives, pledged to oppose it. This month, he says he approves it.

 

(Source: NPR)

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One Response to “Obama and McCain Lay Out Their Education Plans”

  1. Congress Aims for Better, Clearer, Fairer Higher Ed Programs : theprereq.com on August 1st, 2008 1:12 pm

    […] According to the Washington Post both the House of Representatives and the Senate have approved a five-year reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, which means more Pell Grants and better tuition data from the Education Department. Looks like Congress is way ahead of you, J-Mac. […]

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