President Obama and Mitt Romney both presented their views on national education policy in interviews for NBC's "Education Nation" summit this week. Media reports cover
NBC Nightly News devoted over seven minutes to the interviews with the candidates and analysis of their positions. On Romney's comments, NBC Nightly News (9/25, story 2, 2:00, Williams) reported that Romney staked "out some of his major positions on education, including some differences with the President." Romney called the fact that teachers unions donate a great deal of money to the Democratic party "an extraordinary conflict of interest," though he did stress that teachers should have the right to strike. Romney also discussed student performance-based teacher evaluations, education funding, and "creating families that can support their child in education."
Meanwhile, NBC Nightly News (9/25, story 3, 4:10, Williams) reported that in his interview, President Obama discussed the recent teacher strike in Chicago, where former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, the current mayor of Chicago, was at odds with the teachers union, which traditionally supports Democratic presidential candidates. Obama downplayed the notion that the strike was indicative of a schism in the Democratic Party, saying, "It was very important for Mayor Emanuel to say 'Let's step up our game.' And it's important for the teachers' unions to say 'Let's make sure we're not blaming the teachers for all the big problems out there. Let's make sure we've got the resources.'" Obama added, "You know, I think Governor Romney and a number of folks try to politicize the issue and do a lot of teacher bashing. When I meet teachers all across the country, they are so devoted, so dedicated to their kids. Some think we haven't been popular with teachers' unions; I'm a big proponent of charter schools for example."
In its analysis, NBC Nightly News (9/26, story 4, 1:10, Williams) reported, "We decided to take a look at how some candidates come down on some key education issues." NBC notes that President Obama supports the Common Core Standards while Romney opposes it, adding that "President Obama has had tough words for teachers' unions but has figured out a way to work with them. Governor Romney has also had sharp things to say about the unions; he believes they don't always work for the interests of students."
McClatchy (9/26, Schoof) notes that Romney favors cuts to Pell grants and allowing private banks to return to the student loan market. Meanwhile, Obama "wants Congress to approve more spending for his key reform, Race to the Top, a competitive grant program that rewards schools that improve."
Romney Calls For Barring Teachers Unions From Political Donations.The Los Angeles Times (9/26, Mehta) reports that Romney said that "teachers unions should not be allowed to contribute to political campaigns, because their financial backing tips the negotiation process away from the interests of students." The Times quotes Romney saying, "We simply can't have a setting where the teachers unions are able to contribute tens of millions of dollars to the campaigns of politicians and then those politicians, when elected, stand across from them at the bargaining table, supposedly to represent the interest of the kids. I think it's a mistake. I think we've got to get the money out of the teachers unions going into campaigns. It's the wrong way for us to go." The piece notes that despite his criticism of Democrats, Romney praised Duncan, saying, "What I like about him is he said, look, I want to have this Race to the Top program which will give grants to states to encourage innovation and specifically that say we're going to compensate teachers, based upon their performance, which I think is the right thing. We're going to insist on more school choice. I think that's the right thing." The piece notes that he "demurred" about retaining Duncan.
The Washington Post (9/26, Sonmez, Layton) reports that Romney "said Tuesday that he thinks teachers unions should be banned from making political contributions because union leaders often negotiate contracts with Democratic politicians they've helped elect, a situation he called 'an extraordinary conflict of interest.'" The Post notes that "Romney contended that 'the largest contributors to the Democratic Party are the teachers unions.' But a tally by the Center for Responsive Politics, which tracks campaign contributions, shows that the education industry is the third-largest contributor to President Obama's reelection campaign, behind retirees and those in the legal field. A Romney spokeswoman clarified that the candidate was referring to the fact that the vast majority of donations made by the National Education Association benefit Democrats."
The Huffington Post (9/26, Resmovits) also covers Romney's comments at the summit, reporting, "In stressing teacher quality and the importance of testing over money and class size, Romney has aligned himself with many Democrats - including US Secretary of Education Arne Duncan - who support a movement known as education reform. However, Romney differs from the Democrats on the issue in his views on school choice, vouchers, accountability and the role of teachers unions." The Post reports that National Education Association President Dennis Van Roekel "fired back" at Romney, quoting him saying, "Romney's 'us vs. them' platform is a blast from the past. Attacking educators and unions like NEA with gross exaggerations about political muscle and with divide-and-conquer tactics is a distraction from having to confront the real questions about his education record as governor of Massachusetts."
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