Mike Huckabee on Education Former Republican AR Governor; possible draft candidate

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

If you get free college in your 20s, you'll pay in your 30s

College creates mountains of debt but not lifelong careers

On Huckabee's personal education background: After just two and a half years, Huckabee graduated magna cum laude with a degree in religion from Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. He moved to Fort Worth, Texas, to attend Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary but left after one year to begin a career in Christian advertising and broadcasting before becoming a church pastor.

No constitutional authority for Department of Education

• School Choice: "I'm for the education of all children not just those in public schools."
• Common Core: "I oppose watering down our education standards or automatically promoting every student. We must kill Common Core and restore common sense."
• Department of Education: "There is no constitutional authority to dictate education from the federal government. Why even have a federal Department of Education? It's flunked and it needs to be expelled. Education policy ought to be set by states, local school boards and, best of all, by the moms and dads of the children."
• College Costs: "For too many, college is where students discover mountains of debt--but not a lifelong career. We must tackle the establishment and reform our colleges and universities so they make sense for the jobs of tomorrow."

School choice for all: public or private for all kids

Some homeschooled kids are the most successful kids

I'm against Common Core; it differs from its original intent

HUCKABEE: No, I'm absolutely against what Common Core has come to stand for. But it's totally different than what it was intended to be. The original intent, which was conceived out of the Achieve Movement from the mid-'90s that a number of governors, most of them Republicans, put forth to keep state standards, not letting the federal government get in control. And the whole idea was let the states decide the standards, but have high standards. So that was the genesis of it. Common Core originally only dealt with two things: language arts and math. That was it. And nothing, nothing in curriculum.

Common Core morphed into a frankenstandard that I oppose

Establish merit pay and abolish tenure

School should adopt merit programs, which would make the teaching profession more competitive and thus attract better candidates. Some say that merit pay wouldn't be fair, that some teachers would get more simply because the principal likes them. But isn't that how life works in the private sector? Don't some people get promoted because their boss thinks they do a good job? Merit pay at every school in the country would create a system superior overall to what we have now. We hear all this agonizing about the criteria for merit pay, about the difficulty of deciding who deserves more. The truth is that principals know who their best teachers are. Teachers themselves know who the best teachers in their school are, as do the children and their parents.

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.

Courted home-schoolers in Iowa caucus

Differentiates microevolution from macroevolution

Later I was asked, "Well, do you believe in evolution?"

I answered, "'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 just happened all on its own. Now, how did he do it & how long did he take? I don't honestly know, and I don't think knowing would make me a better or a worse president. "

Ivy League founded by spiritual people for Christian purpose

Conservatives have typically eschewed this type of benevolence in favor of the old-fashioned kind in which a person who had something in excess of his need gave freely to another out of a true spirit of community and as an expression of gratitude to a God who had given generously to him and expected him to do the same for others.

Consider, for example, our original institutions of higher education--the Ivy League. Virtually all of the Ivy League universities were started with a very specific Christian mission. It was unapologetically the Founders' understanding that the underlying moral structure derived from our Judeo-Christian heritage formed the basis of our government and educational systems.

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

Decline in school quality due to NEA union

Society is quick to put the blame on the government-run school system. It has not been our dedicated teachers who have brought on this educational crisis. Instead, it has been the steady politicization of our schools by a handful of union organizers. It has been the NEA.

For nearly 30 years, the union has maintained a smothering monopoly over every aspect of America's government-run educational system. Since 1962, [when the NEA became a full-fledged union], the vast proportion of the NEA's efforts and expenditures have been focused on the progressive politicization of the educational system. Consequently, the urgent task of improving the schools has taken a backseat to the promotion and consolidation of the union's power.

NEA opposes school prayer despite teachers' conservatism