VOTE: Examining the Presidential Candidates’ Views on Education

2020 Presidential Candidates'

Understanding Where They Stand on Common Core, Free College, School Accountability & Disbanding the Department of Education.

For some, politics is a dirty word, and for others, it’s an obsession. Yet, the one commonality is that politics affects every living person. Whether regulating holidays, issuing social security cards that allow individuals to be employed, or providing grants and loans to make higher education affordable, politics inform how government functions and sets laws. Both the federal and state governments are heavily involved in education — ranging from Pre-K to PhD — making the political stances of presidential hopefuls something that should matter to each and every one of us. The following guide highlights important topics within education and provides readers with insight into the minds of the 2016 election candidates – one of whom will be our next president.

Comparing the Candidates on Education

Issues surrounding education receive top billing in candidate debates, and for good reason. With numerous differences of opinion on primary, secondary and higher education, it’s important for voters to understand where all the candidates stand on the main topics. Use the table below to get a feel for the educational stances of this cycle’s presidential hopefuls.

Examining the Education Issues of Election 2016

Whether you’re a professional working to pay off student loans or the parent of a young child, you’re affected by the issues surrounding education. The following section provides an overview of topics circulating in the presidential debates during this election cycle.

College Tuition & Education Affordability

The average annual costs for college range from $32,405 at private colleges, to $9,410 and $23,893 for resident and out-of-state students, respectively. As of 2015, seven out of 10 graduating students leave school with an average student debt of $28,950.

Free College Education

With numerous other countries allowing students to attend public colleges and universities at no cost, the topic of free college at two or four-year institutions is a powerful idea being debated from both sides. The goal is to ensure every young person, regardless of their family’s income, doesn’t have to worry about being able to afford higher education.

Educational Funding

With ever-expanding class sizes and fewer full-time professors, ensuring key resources are available in higher education is an important issue. Given the percentage of college-aged and young voters versus older Americans, this topic is an area that current students and recent graduates should monitor closely.

School Accountability

Created to address the ineffective components of No Child Left Behind, the Every Student Succeeds Act requires states to test students in reading and math between grades three and eight, but allows them to categorize data based on different types of student learners (e.g. special education, English as a Second Language). Beyond these requirements, states receive leeway in setting goals and maintaining accountability for performance.

Charter Schools, School Choice & Vouchers

These measures allow parents who can’t afford private school choose an option outside their local public school. In 42 states, the most popular option is increasingly becoming charter schools. These educational providers operate outside traditional governance and exercise high levels of independence in exchange for tougher accountability requirements.

Education Spending, Federal Funding & the Department of Education

At the heart of this issue is a discussion on the level of federal involvement that should be allowed in local classrooms. Both sides feel strongly about the issue and have debated passionately about the need (or lack thereof) for a reform in this area.

Pre-K

With support from both parties, investing into children aged four and younger is one of the more bipartisan issues of the election, though each side has particular ways of ensuring it happens. Both democratic candidates support universal pre-k education, while Cruz, Rubio and Trump have been less specific about their views.

Get to Know the Candidates

With the presidential election set to be held in November 2016, there are still numerous candidates running on the Republican side, alongside candidates from smaller political groups such as the Libertarian party. This guide focuses on the frontrunners of the main parties, including:

The Importance of Fact Checking: Resources

While following political debates is an essential part of becoming an informed voter, it’s just as vital to gain a holistic view of each issue to understand it from all sides. It’s also important to research the historical stances of presidential candidates to see if they’ve maintained their views throughout their prior political or public careers. The following section of resources helps voters familiarize themselves with some of the top issues in education this election cycle.