NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

Obama: Will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner.

McCain: Believes that we can no longer accept low standards for some students and high standards for others. There should be an emphasis on standards and accountability. Focus should be to inspire every child to strive to reach his or her potential. While NCLB has been invaluable in providing a clear picture of which schools and students are struggling, it is only the beginning of education reform.

EDUCATION FUNDING

Obama: Will double funding for the Federal Charter School Program to support the creation of more successful charter schools. Will also prioritize supporting states that help the most successful charter schools to expand to serve more students. Will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs, the 21st Century Learning Centers program, to serve one million more children.”

McCain: Will target $500 million in current federal funds to build new virtual schools and support the development of online course offerings for students. Will allocate $250 million through a competitive grant program to support states that commit to expanding online education opportunities. Low-income students will be eligible to receive up to $4,000 to enroll in an online course, SAT/ACT prep course, credit recovery or tutoring services offered by a virtual provider. The Department of Education would competitively award the funds.

MAKING COLLEGE AFFORDABLE

Obama: Will create a new American Opportunity Tax Credit. This universal and fully refundable credit will ensure that the first $4,000 of a college education is completely free for most Americans, and will cover two-thirds the cost of tuition at the average public college or university and make community college tuition completely free for most students. Recipients of the credit will be required to conduct 100 hours of community service.

McCain: 1. Simplify higher education tax benefits: The existing tax benefits are too complicated, and many eligible families don’t claim them. 2. Simplify federal financial aid: Too many programs and a complicated application process deter many eligible students from seeking student aid. 3. Fix the student lending programs: We have seen significant turmoil in student lending. John McCain has proposed an expansion of the lender-of-last resort capability of the federal student loan system and will demand the highest standard of integrity for participating private lenders.

— Sources: johnmccain.com, barackobama.com