Editorial Notebook: Bush Wins on Education

Education is perhaps one of the biggest domestic policy concerns this election cycle, yet The Crimson endorsement did not even touch upon the candidates' stances on this issue. The endorsement thus underscored what has been true for the entire campaign: Republicans rightly control the education debate in this country. Those concerned about our nation's schools ought to take a careful look at the merits of the Bush proposal before casting a premature vote for Vice President Al Gore '69.

Texas Gov. George W. Bush wins the education debate simply because he spends less money more effectively. The Gore campaign's total education expenditure is projected at $115 billion over 10 years, mostly for the hiring of 100,000 more teachers. Bush, on the other hand, will spend $25 million over the next five years to invest in loans for new charter schools and to create a teacher training fund, spent in ways chosen by each state according to its needs.

A major debate between the two candidates has focused on teacher accountability and the merit of high-stakes testing to measure school success. Gore, unwilling to pressure the teachers' unions from which he derives a significant chunk of his support, would encourage schools to use voluntary testing to measure progress and merely requires that failing schools be identified. Yet without mandated testing to measure failing schools, a missing link exists between identifying these schools and fixing them.

Bush's proposal requires teachers to be responsible for making sure that students learn the required material through federally mandated testing. Yet this testing is targeted at the schools that need it most, those given Title I federal funds primarily aimed at students from low-income families. If a school is low-performing, it will have three years to show improvement before having the school's resources turned over for parents to use. Bush's education plan increases the demands placed upon teacher success, thus offering an innovative approach to the school-reform issue.

Across the board, Bush's plans better enable individuals to pursue high-quality education.

The Gore-Lieberman campaign has wavered in its support for voucher-related programs. Though Gore refuses to consider the solution, Sen. Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) was a staunch supporter of vouchers until he joined the ticket. Bush, however, supports giving $1,500 per child in federal funding to the parents of students at consistently low-performing schools for use towards their children's education. As this money could go to a public school, tutoring or a private school, charges that the plan would take away money from public schools are essentially unfounded. Bush also saves money by allowing public-private partnerships in school construction, giving states the ability to offer increased numbers of private-activity tax exemptions.

Bush is particularly practical in his approach to saving for college. For many of us, Pell Grants are a godsend. Under Bush's plan, the maximum grant would increase from $3,300 to $5,100. Bush's policymakers say that this $5 billion jolt to the funding would make it possible for 800,000 more students each year to enter college. Gore simply imposes another layer of bureaucracy, with a proposed "National Tuition Savings Program" so that the federal government can tell parents to invest their money in special trusts to pay for tuition. This added layer of government influence has no immediate or practical effect upon decreasing the cost of college tuition.

In so many ways, from vouchers to college savings, the Republicans have managed to frame the education debate. As the future of the nation lies with future generations, it is important to take a long, hard look at the way the education system will be changed by the outcome of next week's election. Bush has won the education issue, offering innovative approaches to the education crisis that faces this country. Gore simply rehashes the liberal platform, a platform that has dominated the education policy debate for the past eight years without producing any noteworthy gains.