Conclusion

As part of a weekly series exploring the policy positions of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, this article examines Barack Obama's education plan: what it claims, what it promises, and whether it delivers. Make sure to click back to our analysis of Mitt Romney's education plan, and follow PoliticOlogy for weekly analyses of the candidates' positions.

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Obama would like for his plan for education reform to be markedly different from Romney's and the Bush-era's No Child Left Behind. But by focusing on standards, accountability and transparency, he has opted to maintain the status quo, even though the status quo has been proven ineffective. Some have argued that Obama and Arne Duncan, the education Secretary have chosen this line for its political viability. I have argued before for a more holistic approach to education reform. But policy makers won't be likely to adopt the Broader, Bolder Approach to Education any time soon.

Obama's plan succeeds in some meaningful ways. Early education is always a good thing, and every child should have access to an early education center. Since that's not going to happen just yet, it is important to make the bridge the achievement gap is quickly as possible. By assisting low-income families with early childhood education, Obama is doing just that.

NCLB never worked, which is why Obama is extending waivers to states who want to pursue their own, individualized methods of reform. This is a good thing, because states need to come up with their own measures of success. However, Obama is still imposing a core national standard in order to qualify for the waiver or the Race to the Top grant money. By creating standards, we are not achieving greater academic results. As Dr. Noguera says (and I’m paraphrasing) you won't help a kid run faster by telling him he's slow.

But in the end, the biggest problem isn't standards, teacher accountability, or eliminating tenure; rather, it's the complete dismissal of poverty's effect on education. Policy makers do not have to adopt a completely holistic approach, but they must work toward reducing the affect poverty has on education and schools. Otherwise, all the innovative education policies in the world won't meet our education challenges.

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Related Post: Mitt Romney's Education Plan: Overview and Analysis

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