Mike Huckabee on Education Republican AR Governor

Sub-sections under Education:
• Arkansas Ed Reform
• Other issues under Education

In AR, instituted charter schools & abstinence education

During my tenure as governor we:
• Signed a much-improved charter-school bill, resulting in the creation of Arkansas' first-ever charter schools (1999)
• Implemented a successful abstinence education program (1999)
• Passed a law requiring Internet filters in public schools (2001)
• Created a clearinghouse in the Department of Education for character education curricula (1997)
• Issued proclamation for Home School Day
• Implemented criminal background checks for teachers (1997)
• Protected the right of parents to home-school their children (1997 and 1999)
• Appointed a former home-schooling parent to the State Board of Education
• Worked to grant school administrators more flexibility in firing bad teachers (1999)

Develop both sides of students' brains: music AND math

That's why, as governor, I insisted that all students have art and music education to develop both sides of their brains so that they wouldn't just learn by rote but would become creative problem solvers.

That's why I believe in reducing the high school dropout rate, now at 30% and approaching 50% for minority students, by eliminating the main cause for dropping out--boredom--and allowing students to pursue their passions and future career interests through personalized learning. Each student, working with his parents, teachers, and community, will develop a plan that allows him to take responsibility for his learning.

Given the Internet, a student is no longer bound by the walls of a classroom--the world is his classroom.

Increased school taxes, by court order, and schools improved

A: He made claims about tax increases for education. But he failed to mention that they were [to comply with a court order], to improve education for the children of the state.

Q: Even if it means raising taxes?

A: Now, when we raised taxes, it was to meet an educational demand--our schools were deemed by the courts to be unconstitutional. In Arkansas, we’ve been down the road of a governor defying the courts and saying, “I’m not going to follow the court order.“ Didn’t turn out real well. I wasn’t going to be the second Arkansas governor to do that. In fact, I’m proud of the fact that we raised teacher pay, proud of the fact that, in every year we tested kids, we saw vast improvements in their test scores, things got better, not worse. Education is a key for every child. And I want to make sure that if we’re going to spend more money--and the court said we have to--then let’s make sure we spend it wisely.

Education is a state issue, not a federal issue

Focus on what’s good for students, not good for school

A: I think Hispanics want the same thing everybody wants. They want jobs. They want education. They want to know that they’re going to be able to live with freedom. As we look at issues like education we’ll understand that while the dropout rate from high school is 30% among all populations, it’s 50% among Hispanics. We’ve got to change that by creating personalized education that focuses on perpetuating what’s good for students, not just making what’s good for the school . There’s also issues and disparities between diabetes and other issues of health. So I think, if our policies reflect lifting people up, we’ll get the vote.

Weapons of Mass Instruction: more science AND more arts

A: An education is empowerment. The lack of it leads us to incredible, just all kinds of obstacles in our path. And we always talk about we need more math and science. But one of the reasons we have kids failing is not because they’re dumb, it’s they’re bored. They’re bored with a curriculum that doesn’t touch them. We have schools that are about perpetuating the schools, not helping the students. I propose launching Weapons of Mass Instruction, making sure that we are launching not only the math and science, but music and art programs that touch the right side of the brain, and not only educate the left side of the student’s brain. Because without a creative economy and a creative student, you have a bored student, and that’s one of the reasons we see so many of them dropping out.

Impeach judges for barring legislature prayers to Jesus

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: No.
• HUNTER: No.
• KEYES: Yes.

Equal funds for abstinence as contraceptive-based education

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: Yes.
• HUNTER: Yes.
• KEYES: Yes.

Tax-credited programs for Christian schooling

• HUCKABEE: Yes.
• TANCREDO: Yes.
• COX: Yes.
• BROWNBACK: Yes.
• PAUL: Yes.
• HUNTER: Yes.
• KEYES: Yes.

I’m running for president, not writing science curriculum

A: It’s interesting that that question would even be asked of somebody running for president. I’m not planning on writing the curriculum for an eighth-grade science book. I’m asking for the opportunity to be president. But you’ve raised the question, so let me answer it. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth.” To me it’s pretty simple, a person either believes that God created this process or believes that it was an accident and that it just happened all on its own.

Q: Do you believe literally it was done in six days and it occurred 6,000 years ago?

A: I believe there is a God who was active in the creation process. Now, how did he do it, and when did he do it, and how long did he take? I don’t honestly know, and I don’t think knowing that would make me a better or a worse president.

Ending school prayer was one step in society’s moral decay

If any force is going to overcome a free, prosperous country like America, it won’t happen all at once. Amreica has a solid foundation of liberty, personal dignity, and opportunity.

The only way to destroy something with that kind of foundation is to chip away at it, one value at a time. Take away its heart and essence. Bring doubt to what used to be confidence, denial to what used to be faith, death to what was life. I think that is what has happened.

Does not believe in evolution

McCAIN: Yes.

Q: I’m curious, is there anybody on the stage that does not agree, believe in evolution?

[TANCREDO, HUCKABEE, and BROWNBACK raise their hands, indicating that they do not believe in evolution].

McCAIN: I believe in evolution. But I also believe, when I hike the Grand Canyon and see it at sunset, that the hand of God is there also.

Incorporate character education into school curriculum

Authorize & advance more charter schools

Replace entire school board for failing schools

Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools

Indicate which principles you support regarding education.
• Support displaying the Ten Commandments in public schools.
• Support abstinence-only sexual education programs.

SmartStart focuses on high standards and accountability

FactCheck: AR improved test scores, but still below-average

It’s tru that Massachusetts school children scored first in the nation in the most recent NAEP tests, scoring a clean sweep among both 4th-graders and 8th-graders in math & reading. But MA also had ranked at or near the top before Romney took office, so he’s straining the facts to attribute the success entirely to “Republican principles” and his leadership.

Arkansas consistently scored below the national average before Huckabee came along, and on most tests it still does. But on all four NAEP tests, AR’s scores moved closer to the average during Huckabee’s time in office. Coming from below average to not-so-much-below average is significant. Whether that constitutes the “most impressive” record among GOP candidates, we’ll leave others to judge.

SmartStart: early character-based education

The real value of Smart Start will not be most evident in the short-term. It will take more than a single school year to see what happens when children grow up in a public education system where there are no excuses for failure, where the standards are raised instead of lowered, and where individual students and schools are held accountable.

Sends his kids to public school; says other officials should

My three children were the first children of any Arkansas governor in at least 50 years who spent their first through senior high education entirely in the public schools of Arkansas. My wife and I are ourselves products of public schools. For us, there was no option as we grew up in families that could not have afforded a private school had one even existed in our hometown.

As governor, although the teachers’ union in Arkansas never supported me (mainly because they have so long been controlled by the machinery of the Democratic Party), improving education in the public schools has understandably been a priority for me.

Reformed AR education with Smart Start & Next Step

It was a priority for me to develop more accessible and effective preschool programs and to make dramatic changes in both access and affordability in higher education. We developed a seamless curriculum from pre-K through college so that there was coordination and continuity throughout the educational process. There are at least 5 elements essential to improving schools:

1. Mark the standards--with challenging goals
2. Measure the progress--like with No Child Left Behind
3. Meet the expectations--there must be accountability
4. Mobilize the community
5. Move the potential

Supported creation of Arkansas charter schools

Governor Huckabee is a leader in education:
• Protected the right of parents to home school their children
• Initiated SmartStart, SmartStep, and Next Step education programs.
• Passed legislation to increase education assessment and school accountability
• Signed into law legislation vastly improving an existing charter school law, resulting in the creation of Arkansas’ first ever charter schools
• Worked to grant school administrators more flexibility in firing bad teachers

Raise teacher salaries; hire more teachers

Indicate your principles regarding education.
• Increase state funds for hiring additional teachers & increasing teacher salaries.
• Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
• Huckabee adds, “Our NEXT STEP education program will be a natural continuation of our SMART START and SMART STEP programs that have put an emphasize on reading and math. Nothing we can do is as important as continuing the effort to see that all children have equal access to quality education. ”

First priority: Raise teacher salaries