Policies on Education: Democrats vs. Republicans
DEMOCRATS
SYLVIA WINSTON
Staff Writer
Nov. 6 is an important day for all American citizens, including students. Education, a highlighted issue of the 2012 election, has become the number one priority of the presidential campaigns, specifically the Democratic platform.
According to President Barack Obama, in order to prepare Americans for jobs and restore middle class security, we have to out-educate the world by starting with strong education systems. Knowing that more than half of Americans are middle class, he first focuses on helping them afford college. So far, he has kept his promise by expanding federal support and tackling rising college costs. As a result, a large investment in students’ aid has occurred, as well as the implementation of a more effective system.
However, Republican candidate Mitt Romney does not waste an opportunity to attack Obama’s ideas on education by making empty promises. By stating that the use of tax money should go to tuition for private schools, it only proves that our country’s investment in such ventures will continue to damage our economy and drain the resources from public schools. In addition, Romney plans to eliminate Obama’s college tax credit and veto the Dream Act.
President Obama offers a promising future for the students of America. The improvement of this system will not only facilitate the chance to go to college, but improve America as a whole. America’s future is at stake on Nov. 6 and we have a choice on how to move forward.
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REPUBLICANS
SARAH TAKHAR
Staff Writer
Administrators, parents and teachers are all connected by a need for accountability. With trust, they are able to rely on one another so that the students are able to receive the best education possible.
The Republican Party’s view on education holds improvement in our national school system as a very important issue so that each student can have the ability to choose from schools that have the same quality, to see which one best fits their needs. With higher standards, all students can be pushed to reach their full potential. Only with accountability, implementation of rigor in the fundamental class courses, and innovation to adapt to their students’ needs can schools provide students with a higher level of education.
Unlike the Democratic view of education, which involves heavy government power, the Republican Party believes that Americans need to keep to the idea of limited government. The only time when government should interfere with where students go to school is not to tell them where to go, but to give them the option to go wherever they want.
America doesn’t need the government to become overly involved in the school system. Really, it is up to us, the people, to decide what we want to do and how we want to do it. We cannot depend on the government to give us achievement but to give us power to achieve. All that is needed from the government is for them to support and to make the pursuit of schooling attainable for students.