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John Edwards on Education
I did vote for it...The most serious problem with No Child Left Behind, is not just the accountability provisions. We need accountability in order to improve our public schools. But the problem is when they find the school that is struggling, instead of doing the things like bring expertise and resources to the school, to improve the quality of the school that's struggling, that's not what's happening with No Child Left Behind.
Democratic 2004 primary debate at USC Feb 26, 2004
They didn't fund the mandates that they put on the schools all over this country.
Edwards-Cheney debate: 2004 Vice Presidential Oct 5, 2004
John Edwards said "NCLB has lost all credibility with the teachers and principals we need to make it work." But he did not join one of his 2008 Democratic rivals, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, in calling for dumping the law. Instead, he proposed modest changes, such as improving the yearly tests that states give to students and shifting the way schools are measured to reduce the number of schools that are labeled "failing" by the federal government.
"I personally submitted a legal brief in support of the University of Michigan's affirmative action program because I believe very strongly in he importance of affirmative action."
"I would insure that judges I appointed to the federal bench and that justices nominated for the US Supreme Court believe in real equality and believed in the concept of affirmative action."
None of us believe that the quality of a child's education should be controlled by where they live or the affluence of the community they live in. We can build one school system that works for all our kids, gives them a chance to do what they're capable of doing. Our plan will reform our schools and raise standards. We can give our schools the resources that they need. We can provide incentives to put our best teachers in the subjects and the places where we need them the most.
Acceptance speech to the Democratic National Convention Jul 28, 2004
We not only have two Americas because of the people who are doing very well financially and the rest of America, I think we've got two public school systems in this country. We've got one for the most affluent communities and one for everybody else. It's wrong
Democratic 2004 primary debate at USC Feb 26, 2004
Voted YES to authorize a federal program aimed at reducing class size. The plan would assist states and local education agencies in recruiting, hiring and training 100,000 new teachers, with $2.4 billion in fiscal 2002. This amendment would replace an amendment allowing parents with children at under-performing schools to use public funding for private tutors.
Bill S1 ; vote number 2001-103 on May 15, 2001
Vote YES to reduce the size of the $1.6 trillion tax cut by $448 billion while increasing education spending by $250 billion and providing an increase of approximately $224 billion for debt reduction over 10 years.
Bill H Con Res 83 ; vote number 2001-69 on Apr 4, 2001
Voted NO on allowing more flexibility in federal school rules. This vote was a motion to invoke cloture on a bill aimed at allowing states to waive certain federal rules normally required in order to use federal school aid. [A YES vote implies support of charter schools and vouchers]. Status: Cloture Motion Rejected Y)55; N)39; NV)6
Motion to Invoke cloture on Jeffords Amdt #31; Bill S. 280 ; vote number 1999-35 on Mar 9, 1999
Today, many public school choice programs are having trouble because there aren't enough schools or parents involved. We shouldn't give up on these programs; we should make them work by making a billion-dollar investment in public school choice. We'll say to districts that need it most: If you'll provide universal public school choice for your students, we'll help you pay for it.
You should give every parent a choice where to send their kids to school; provide transportation within the district; encourage charter schools, making sure they meet the same standards as other schools, and shutting down the ones that don't; and make the new funds portable so that a student brings money to the school he chooses and takes money from the school he leaves. These policies will help fulfill the promise of public school choice. [Supports charter schools as public schools, not as competition for public schools.]
Voted NO on a motion to invoke cloture on a bill aimed at allowing states to waive certain federal rules normally required in order to use federal school aid. [A YES vote implies support of charter schools and vouchers].
Motion to Invoke cloture on Jeffords Amdt #31; Bill S. 280 ; vote number 1999-35 on Mar 9, 1999
Private school vouchers won't help our public schools, but will instead drain limited resources from those schools. I oppose vouchers.
Democratic Primary Debate, Albuquerque New Mexico Sep 4, 2003
He opposes school vouchers because he says they would "divert resources and energy from reform and divert students into the only schools that don't have to meet high standards."
Teachers, not tests, are the single most important factor in successful schools.
"A child is more then a test. The truth of the matter is we need to empower teachers who want to raise expectations for students, and we need to make sure that America know what actually happens with these cheap standardized tests that are being used under no child left behind. What actually happens is these tests do not tell us what we need to know about our children. They do not tell us what we need to know about our teachers."
Rather than requiring students to take cheap standardized tests, Edwards believes that we must invest in the development of higher-quality assessments that measure higher-order thinking skills, including open-ended essays, oral examinations, and projects and experiments.
The answer is to give incentive pay to our best teachers to get them to teach in schools in less affluent areas, to expand our earlier childhood programs, and doing the same thing with making afterschool available.
Democratic 2004 primary debate at USC Feb 26, 2004
Edwards will fundamentally change teachers' incentives by helping states pay teachers in successful high-poverty schools as much as $15,000 more a year.
I think we ought to actually provide incentive pay to get our best teachers in the inner-city schools and into poor rural areas where they're needed the most.
We should say to the smartest young people in America: if you make a five-year commitment to teach in a place or a subject where top-flight teachers are in short supply, then we will pay for your college education. Tens of thousands of new, talented, dedicated teachers could change the face of our high-poverty schools. And we should give a $5,000 mortgage tax credit to teachers in poor areas who are willing to buy homes in the communities where they teach so they can be more available to parents and students. [Edwards supports creating incentive pay for teachers to encourage quolified people to teach in the areas and subject matters they are most needed. You are paying the most quolified applicants not paying teachers based on their performance.]
First, you've got to pay teachers better, and pay more to teachers who agree to teach in places and subjects where we need them most.
I support higher pay for teachers, especially in low-income schools
2004 Presidential National Political Awareness Test Mar 3, 2004
Because a great education starts with a great teacher, Edwards will increase teacher pay, especially in the areas that need good teachers most, and will offer scholarships for young people who commit to tough teaching assignments.
"Real Solutions For America" campaign booklet by John Edwards Aug 6, 2003
"After Republican debate Anderson Cooper, James Carville (CNN political analyst), and Ralph Reed (Republican strategist) discuss the debate and the Democratic candidate's position on evolution: Carville: Every Democratic candidate believes in evolution? Obviously, every Democratic candidate believes in evolution. Every Democratic candidate thinks it ought to be taught in schools."
What I am not in favor of is for a teacher to go to the front of the class and lead the class in prayer. Because I think that by definition means that, that teachers faith is being imposed on children. Allowing time for children to pray to themselves, I think is not only ok, I think it's a good thing.
Voted YES to declare that erecting religious symbols and praying on public school campuses as part of a memorial service does not violate the First Amendment to the Constitution, and to provide legal assistance to any government entity defending such a case.
Bill S.254 ; vote number 1999-121 on May 18, 1999
"One of the things we ought to be thinking about is some level of mandatory service to our country, so that everybody in America - not just the poor kids who get sent to war - are serving this country." After the event, Edwards said he had not meant to imply that only the poor go to war, only that everyone should serve in some way.
What we want to do is to have all Americans to have a chance to serve their country