Elizabeth Dole on Education

Supports CA Prop 187 barring illegal aliens from schools Dole said that she supports a controversial measure to deny public services-except for emergency medical care-to illegal immigrants. Dole agrees with the most charged aspect of the California Proposition 187: the move to bar children of illegal aliens from public schools unless they were born in the US. Because illegal immigration is “a situation where the law is being broken, it sends the wrong signal” to provide benefits, Dole said after the meeting. “The proposition is one I would agree with.” Source: David Von Drehle, The Washington Post Oct 15, 1999

For school prayer & 10 Commandments in schools Declaring she reads the Bible every day, Dole told the Christian Coalition she favored allowing silent school prayer and displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools. “It is wrong that our children are not allowed a silent moment of prayer in school, that they cannot look up on their classroom wall and see the Ten Commandments, which have undergirded western culture for nearly 2,000 years,” she said. Source: Alan Elsner, Reuters Oct 1, 1999

Merit pay to retain teachers Dole said her goal as president would be to restore schools to greatness. Dole said she would ease federal regulations, would back merit pay for teachers, and would make it easier for parents to save for education costs. Dole said merit pay was essential to retaining good teachers to educate the growing student population. “It’s time to let creative, enthusiastic teachers know that they are a national treasure right where they are - in our classrooms,” she said. Source: Jill Zuckman, Boston Globe, p. A8 Sep 23, 1999

More ed. savings accounts; tax credit for ed. charity Dole said she would increase the contribution limits for education savings accounts from $500 to $3,000 a year to help parents pay for a child’s school or college education. She said she would also like to create a $1,000 per-year tax credit for people who donate to educational foundations helping low-income students in public and private schools through grade 12. Source: Jill Zuckman, Boston Globe, p. A8 Sep 23, 1999

Web of rules makes system fail; empower states & districts Dole said the Clinton administration had entangled schools in a web of federal rules. “Take a look at this unwieldy stack of paper,” Dole said, pointing to a thick bound copy of the Elementary & Secondary Education reauthorization bill. “This would be a joke is our system were working, but it’s no joke,” Dole said. “As president, I will allow states and local school districts to choose how most federal money is spent, as long as they set, measure, and reach goals for student achievement,” she said. Source: Jill Zuckman, Boston Globe, p. A8 Sep 23, 1999

Search students’ lockers & backpacks for drugs & guns Dole suggested that school officials search student lockers and backpacks for drugs and weapons. She also said schools should consider testing students for drugs - if their parents consent. “For drugs and weapons, I say: There will be no place to hide,” said Dole. Source: Jill Zuckman, Boston Globe, p. A8 Sep 23, 1999

Decisions on teaching evolution should be made locally On teaching evolution in schools, Dole says the decision should be made at the local level. Source: Bruce Morton, CNN Aug 27, 1999

More power to teachers, parents, and local schools Dole said the key [to improving education] is to increase local control of schools, give teachers the power to remove troublemakers from their classes and involve parents in their children’s education. Source: J.M. Hirsch, Associated Press Aug 16, 1999

Demand rigorous training and degrees for teachers We must return teaching to the heart of the educational enterprise. Teaching needs to be supported, not only by rewarding excellence in teaching, but by placing the training of teachers at the center of our higher education system. If teaching is to become a prestigious profession, teachers must undergo rigorous training and hold prestigious degrees. Source: Exploratory Cmte Announcement Speech, 3/10/99 Mar 10, 1999

Elizabeth Dole on School Choice

Give parents a smorgasbord of choices Dole said parents should be able to choose from a “rich smorgasbord of educational choices” in deciding where to send their children to school. “The federal government has become a truly intrusive regulatory presence sapping state authority,local control & parental responsibility. Every hour spent on complying with regulations is time not spent helping teachers & students.” Dole would let school districts choose how most federal money is spent, as long as students’ performance is measured and attained. Source: The Enterprise (Greater Brockton, MA) , p. A6 Sep 23, 1999

Vouchers OK where public schools fail. The No. 1 priority of any education reform must be to restore our public schools to greatness. But where schools are unsafe and a child is trapped in a failing school, the state should provide [a voucher] to help pay for education elsewhere. Source: Time Magazine 4/26/99 p. 36 Apr 26, 1999

Parents should demand success; be given vouchers if not Parents [involved in classrooms] will do what the government has not: ensure a zero tolerance for incompetence. We should test and track and act on the results, holding teachers & principals & schools accountable for the success of the children in their care. But if a child is trapped in an unsafe, failing school, we must provide other answers, like a voucher to help parents select another school. Source: Exploratory Cmte Announcement Speech, 3/10/99 Mar 10, 1999

Restore quality and parental involvement We must choose education over social engineering.We must teach our children again the basics of math and reading and citizenship. How appalling that one in four high school seniors in the great United States of America is considered functionally illiterate! We must return discipline and parental involvement to every school. In those areas --especially in low income areas -- where schools have failed completely, parents must be given other choices. Source: Speech at Iowa State University, 2/15/99 Feb 15, 1999

Add a 4th “R”: Responsibility Everyone agrees on the value of education. Can’t we also agree about the need for an education in values? The 4 R’s - reading, ‘riting, ‘rithmetic, and responsibility. By all means, let’s put computers in every classroom. But let’s make sure to put parents in every classroom as well. Source: Manchester Chamber of Commerce, NH, Feb. 8, 1999 Feb 8, 1999

Restore federal taxes to local districts to empower parents There are many ideas to restore to local school districts funds taken in federal taxes. We should do this, because local districts know best what their schools need. But the ultimate test of our resolve is not how much money Washington gives to school districts, but how much control Washington gives back to parents and teachers. I believe that educational decisions should be made at the local level, where parents have the greatest voice in those decisions. Source: Manchester Chamber of Commerce, NH, Feb. 8, 1999 Feb 8, 1999

Spend on teachers for training & smaller classes I doubt anyone in this room remembers which federal official had primary responsibility for education when you graduated from grade school. But I bet each and every one of you can remember the teacher who awakened in you a love of history or fascination with words. We can afford safer, newer classrooms with smaller classes. Places where real knowledge is transferred by better-trained, more accountable teachers. Source: Manchester Chamber of Commerce, NH, Feb. 8, 1999 Feb 8, 1999

Supports scholarships for at-risk youth. As Secretary of Labor in President Bush’s cabinet, numerous initiatives to benefit at-risk youth became Dole’s top priority - one she has pursued at the American Red Cross in establishing The Mary Cathey Hanford Fund which provides scholarships. Source: www.electelizabeth.org/Life/Biography/bio graphy.html 1/3/99 Jan 3, 1999