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EDUCATIONAL AGENDAS AT A GLIMPSE
In recent weeks, education issues have taken a backseat to the
debate over the war in Iraq. Here is a reiteration of the
presidential candidates’ proposed education platforms:
KERRY:
* A National Education Trust Fund to support No Child Left Behind
* Better training to teachers, and better pay in troubled schools
* Tests with higher standards for new teachers and better procedures
for replacing teachers who do not perform
* More and higher quality after-school programs
* Mentoring in middle schools, smaller high schools, strengthening
high school curriculum in an effort to help 1 million more students
graduate high school in the next five years
* A College Opportunity Tax credit and aid to states that keep
tuition down
* Better testing that measures the full range of skills students
should be learning
BUSH:
* $250 million annually to extend state assessment of student
reading and math skills
* Stronger early education programs, including Healthy Start,
Grow Smart, and Head Start
* Research on effective curricula and early literacy and math
programs
* An expanded Reach Out and Read program promoting early literacy
* An emphasis on effective early childhood development strategies
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