• Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Contact

Nancy Bailey's Education Website

Revive, Rally and Recover Public Schools

  • Activism
    • Anti-Charter Schools
    • Anti-Common Core State Standards
    • Anti-Corporatization of Schools
    • Anti-High-Stakes Testing
    • State Action Groups
    • School Buildings
  • School Curriculum
    • General Education
    • Educators
    • Parents
    • Reading
    • Writing
    • Math
    • Science
    • Social Studies
    • The Arts
    • Technology
    • Behavior
    • Diversity
    • English Language Learners
    • Special Education
      • Autism
      • Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities
      • Learning Disabilities
      • Developmental Disabilities
      • Gifted
      • Other
    • Early Childhood Education
    • Elementary School
    • Middle School
    • High School
    • Student Careers
  • Other Countries
    • England
    • Finland
    • Australia
    • New Zealand
    • Canada

The Republican Debate: Did YOU Hear Education Mentioned?

September 17, 2015 By Nancy Bailey 9 Comments

Post Views: 50

I did not remain glued to the screen when the debate was on last night, so when I stepped away, maybe it was then that they mentioned education and public schools.

I must have missed it.

Yes. I’m sure that was it. My guess is that they thoroughly discussed, at some point, the backbone of this nation—the preparation of our young people, our next generation, and the current state of how we are forming our country’s future.

I’m sure I just happened to miss when they seriously explored the following topics:

Common Core. I did hear Donald Trump briefly snipe at Gov. Jeb Bush about Common Core. But I must have missed when they delved into this topic more completely…whether or not Common Core State Standards are national standards usurping the power of the state and local governments. Little stuff like that.

High-Stakes Testing. Testing is such a serious issue with many parents in both parties. Surely the candidates touched upon it at least for a few minutes out of the three hours.

Vouchers. Jeb Bush did mention a Christian voucher school, but I missed any in-depth discussion about vouchers. Many Republicans likely support vouchers, but surely they discussed what their strategy is to replace public schools with them. I’m sure they are at least up front about their plans.

Charter schools. Did I miss the discussion about the call to make charter schools more transparent? Like vouchers, charter schools are embraced by many Republicans (and Democrats), but they are controversial because they are not really showing better results, and we don’t always know how they are using our tax dollars. I really wanted to hear them address this and am sorry I missed it.

Local Control of Schools. Darn. This was the topic I really wanted to hear them discuss. How to maintain local control of schools when you give the schools away to outside chain charter school operators. The Republicans I used to know always loved to discuss local control of schools, didn’t they? What did they say about the future of school boards?

College Debt. Certainly the Republican candidates mentioned college debt last night because many Republican parents, like their friends in the Democratic Party, have this problem. I am sure I missed this one. Oh! It was brought to my attention that Gov. Christie said something regarding how the poor working person could fund their child’s education. Unfortunately, since he is always snapping at teachers I usually zone out when he is speaking.

Careers and Job Outlook. How is the job outlook these days for college graduates and those looking for work who may not have attended college? Will students who graduate with a degree wind up selling coffee? I would like to hear an update on this serious issue.

Special Education. You might suppose that Republicans don’t like special education because it costs money. But what do you do with the many Republican parents who have students with disabilities? And, or students who are gifted and talented? Surely this is a topic worth discussing for at least a few minutes. I heard them edge close to it when they mentioned autism and vaccines, but it must have been another time when they discussed special education more fully—including dyslexia. I think there are a lot of Republican parents concerned about dyslexia and autism and the increasing lack of services found in their public schools.

Preschool Education. How should we handle getting our youngest off to a good start? Should we bolster Head Start or privatize services? Politicians have been talking about preschool education for years. So what’s really on the agenda? What sort of services are out there now and are they working? What kinds of programs are the most nurturing for young children? How can we especially help the poor?

Zero Tolerance. Gosh I’m sorry I missed when the candidates discussed this issue including the school-to-prison pipeline. The Ahmed Mohamed clock incident, on the news yesterday, gave them the perfect opportunity. Wouldn’t this be a Republican issue? Oops. Maybe not.

Teacher Preparation. I wonder what they said about teacher preparation. Do they really think that less is more and that they can get rid of a true teacher profession? Do they think that training teachers to control students will bring out the best in our young people? Or did they discuss replacing teachers with technology? Surely, they are at least upfront about this serious topic.

Mental Health. I did hear the candidates discuss their concerns about drug addiction and gun violence, but did they ever mention mental health programs (special education again) in our public schools?

No Child Left Behind. NCLB originally had bipartisan support. Remember when Senator Ted Kennedy stood next to President George W. Bush as he signed it into law? So what did the Republican candidates say about the arguments surrounding the re-authorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act? Isn’t there controversy? Did they have any thoughts on the proposals made to change the law? This will affect our public schools for years to come, so I am sure they at least mentioned it.

Teachers’ Unions. Alright, I know the Republicans don’t like the teachers’ unions, but they must have at least said something about their good friends, Randi and Lily. Where was I when that happened? Is it their intent not to have any teachers’ unions in the future, or unions that support their privatization plans?

Education in the World. Did they mention anything about the problems around the world and educating our young people? Whew! That probably covered a whole 15 minutes that I missed at least!

So what I heard of the Republican debate last night did not include any of the most serious issues in regard to children and their schooling. But, like I said, I stepped out of the room several times and I am sure I missed it.

And I look forward to the Democratic Party discussing education issues, because surely this will be a huge topic in the upcoming Presidential debates. Surely!

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Autism, charter schools, College Debt, Common Core, dyslexia, education, Local Control of Schools, mental health, NCLB, Reauthorization of ESEA, Republican Debate, School-to-Prison Pipeline, special education, vouchers, World Education, Zero Tolerance

Comments

  1. Joshua says

    September 17, 2015 at 12:24 pm

    The questions were abysmal during the debate. The moderators sounded like gossip columnists. “Mr. Trump, when Mr. Cruz accused you of having hair implants and an anus-to-mouth transplant, was he correct? If not, would you like to say anything about his nose and if you think he has had work done on it?” When the candidates tried to move to real issues, the moderators kept steering them back to dirty laundry. “Ms. Fiorina, you can answer about immigration later, but right now we want to know if you think Mr. Trump sleeps with his secretaries. Please don’t talk about anyone but Mr. Trump as our ratings might fall.”

    Reply
    • Nancy Bailey says

      September 17, 2015 at 2:21 pm

      I agree with you, Joshua. “What’s your favorite code name?” sounded like a high school yearbook question.

      Reply
  2. Angie says

    September 17, 2015 at 5:09 pm

    It should be acknowledged that the candidates did not avoid the topic; the moderator did. Your comments make it sound like no one wanted to talk about education even though it was proposed. I agree the moderator, his questions, and the face-off attempts were all abysmal.

    Reply
    • Nancy Bailey says

      September 17, 2015 at 5:22 pm

      Thanks, Angie.

      I stand corrected although I think I was generally talking about the debate and not finger pointing at the candidates.

      But I don’t hear much talk on the campaign trail either. I don’t think any candidate Rep. or Dem. has addressed education in the last several elections.

      I’ve written about Sen. Sanders and Hillary Clinton too and questioned where they are at.

      https://nancyebailey.com/2015/07/06/senator-bernie-sanders-and-k-12-education-were-listening/

      https://nancyebailey.com/2015/07/13/two-sides-of-hillary-clinton-the-american-federation-of-teachers-big-blunder/

      Other than Sen. Sander’s and the college debt crisis It is mostly superficial.

      But I don’t mind blaming the media for last night if you want.

      Reply
  3. Karen Braun says

    September 17, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    I asked Tapper about this via Twitter this morning. He replied and we had a brief exchange where he explained the reason.

    https://www.facebook.com/SpunkyHomeschool/posts/10153370865347659?pnref=story

    Reply
    • Nancy Bailey says

      September 17, 2015 at 5:25 pm

      Interesting! Thank you, Karen! Let’s see what happens at the next debate.

      Reply
  4. Daun Kauffman says

    September 17, 2015 at 7:02 pm

    http://lucidwitness.com/2015/07/28/common-sense/

    Reply
  5. Mary says

    September 17, 2015 at 7:34 pm

    No, education was not at the forefront, this time. However, I will not condemn Republicans for the lack of the education progress. Hello, Arnie Duncan whom just happens to be a great friend of our president. Many of the Republicans have stated prior to this debate that they do not see the CCSS surviving much longer. This is not much different to the National Standards. It was underfunded and the federal government does not have a handle on National education.

    Reply
  6. Dr. E says

    September 21, 2015 at 9:05 am

    Interesting that teachers unions and charter schools are opposites. I was at Morris Jeff Community School’s historic Board meeting in which they approved collective bargaining for teachers. This charter school in New Orleans has a teachers union. Morris Jeff seems reminiscent of the community school movement in the 60s and 70s.,

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

front cover

An education glossary with an attitude.

Buy Now

front cover

Do we really want an America where we no longer own our public schools?

Buy Now

front cover

This book says “no” to the reforms that fail, and challenges Americans to address the real student needs that will fix public schools and make America strong.

Buy Now

Follow me!

Enter your email address to subscribe to my blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Connect With Me!

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Nancy E. Bailey Follow

Longtime LD reading teacher, and other SPED areas. Author, Ph.D. Ed. Leadership, Blogging for Kids, and Democratic Public Schools.

NancyEBailey1
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
susanoha Susan Ohanian @susanoha ·
11h

Dept. of Libraries partners with Dept. of Corrections to provide over $42,000 in books to state correctional facilities https://libraries.vermont.gov/corrections_partnership

Reply on Twitter 1560090867154690048 Retweet on Twitter 1560090867154690048 2 Like on Twitter 1560090867154690048 5 Twitter 1560090867154690048
nancyebailey1 Nancy E. Bailey @nancyebailey1 ·
17 Aug

Children must first learn reading is fun. Pushing phonics on young children means nothing if they can't connect it to the joy of reading. Jim Trelease knew the importance of reading aloud. His book holds the key.
https://nancyebailey.com/2022/08/17/reading-aloud-to-help-children-read-well-their-whole-lives/

Reply on Twitter 1559884690106064900 Retweet on Twitter 1559884690106064900 1 Like on Twitter 1559884690106064900 7 Twitter 1559884690106064900
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
nicholasferroni Nicholas Ferroni @nicholasferroni ·
16 Aug

When you are trying to sell something that you know is not going to work… https://twitter.com/thehill/status/1558849930948534273

The Hill @thehill

.@GovDeSantis on recruiting veterans to the teaching field: "Our veterans have a wealth of knowledge and experience they can bring to bear in the classroom. [...] For too long, the requirements to be a teacher have been too rigid." https://trib.al/1bPu78k

Reply on Twitter 1559543217615278080 Retweet on Twitter 1559543217615278080 17 Like on Twitter 1559543217615278080 175 Twitter 1559543217615278080
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
dey_project DEY.org @dey_project ·
1 Jul

The state of #recess in #america is horrendous. There are a few states where mandatory recess for K-8 have been achieved, but even there the minimum is too low. See @NancyEBailey1 post on recess: https://bit.ly/3bFyd6k.
#outdoorrecess #letthechildrenplay #playislearning

Reply on Twitter 1542885875545214976 Retweet on Twitter 1542885875545214976 2 Like on Twitter 1542885875545214976 2 Twitter 1542885875545214976
Retweet on Twitter Nancy E. Bailey Retweeted
plthomasedd Paul Thomas @plthomasedd ·
14 Aug

#jamesbaldwin

Reply on Twitter 1558816541734584321 Retweet on Twitter 1558816541734584321 4 Like on Twitter 1558816541734584321 3 Twitter 1558816541734584321
Load More

Archives

Tag Cloud

Arne Duncan Autism Betsy DeVos Bill Gates charter schools class size Common Core Common Core covid-19 disabilities dyslexia early childhood education Education Secretary Betsy DeVos Florida high-stakes testing inclusion kindergarten learning disabilities mental health Online Learning parents Personalized Learning phonics preschool private schools privatization public schools reading recess School Choice school libraries School Privatization school reform Social Emotional Learning special education students Students with Disabilities Teacher Preparation teachers Teach for America teaching Technology testing the arts vouchers

Copyright © 2022 Nancy E. Bailey · Website powered by Standing Pine Media.