A Blank Slate

I think it's fair game to debate the merits of the Broader, Bolder approach to education, but it's like watching a called third strike to assume the new initiative will sway the presumptive Democratic nominee into a certain education policy.

Why? Because, unlike his opponent, he already has one.

It's not too bad either. There's some minor tweaks here and a major proposal there, and it all adds up to a pretty comprehensive education plan.

First, as a caveat to my previous post on the McCain-Obama surrogate debate on education: McCain does not really have a serious education policy at this point. While Obama has two .pdf files totaling 17 pages and nearly 9,000 words, the Republican nominee has a spartan 500 word essay on his website. That's it.

The two senators' legislative history on this issue do not compare either. While Obama chose to serve on the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, McCain did not. While Obama introduced 20 bills pertaining to education in the latest Congress, McCain proposed none.

Obama's legislative history paired with his campaign plans draw a fairly clear outline for what he'd like to do as president. Legislatively, he's focused on things like summer and after-school programs for high-needs kids, STEM advancements, and innovation zones (districts that track students longitudinally, reward teachers based on student performance and teacher evaluations, and establish career ladders. His plan has a few clever policy tweaks, things like eliminating the cumbersome FAFSA in favor of a check box on federal tax forms, that make a lot of sense. It also tackles the big issues by proposing mentoring programs and career ladders for teachers, a refundable tax credit for college students, and service scholarships for new teachers who agree to teach in a high need field or location for four years.

These are not minor proposals, and they are not the sign of someone waiting for an education policy savant. McCain, on the other hand, could use some help. His entire education platform is a little more than the length of this post. Now that's a blank slate.