More headlines: Donald Trump on Education
(Following are older quotations. Click here for main quotations.)
I may cut Department of Education
Q: Should the federal government establish Common Core as a nationwide academic standard for high school graduation?Trump: "I'm not cutting services, but I'm cutting spending. But I may cut Department of Education," Trump says. "I believe Common Core
is a very bad thing. I believe that we should be--you know, educating our children from Iowa, from New Hampshire, from South Carolina, from California, from New York. I think that it should be local education."
Clinton initially responded to the
question about how to fix the U.S. educational system by praising Common Core. She then said that families today are too "negative" about the current system, a system Clinton described as "the most important non-family enterprise" in the country.
After noting what she described as "unfortunate" opposition to Common Core, Hillary Clinton also dismissed the concerns of Common Core opponents by saying they just "do not understand the value" of the controversial top-down curriculum. Source
Source: 2016 AFA Action iVoterGuide on 2016 presidential hopefuls
Nov 8, 2016
Dept. of Education runs top-down one-size-fits-all system
A lot of people believe the Department of Education should just be eliminated. Get rid of it. If we don't eliminate it completely, we certainly need to cut its power and reach. Education has to be run locally.
Common Core, No Child Left Behind, and Race to the Top are all programs that take decisions away from parents and local school boards.
These programs allow the progressives in the Department of Education to indoctrinate, not educate, our kids. What they are doing does not fit the American model of governance.
I am totally against these programs and the Department of Education. It's a disaster. We cannot continue to fail our children--the very future of this nation.
Source: Crippled America, by Donald Trump, p. 50-1
Nov 3, 2015
Cut Department of Education and Common Core
Q: Would you cut departments?TRUMP: We're going to be cutting tremendous amounts of money and waste and fraud and abuse. But, no, I'm not cutting services, but I am cutting spending. But I may cut Department of Education--
Common Core is a very bad thing. I think that it should be local education. If you look at a Jeb Bush and some of these others, they want children to be educated by Washington, D.C. bureaucrats.
Source: Fox News Sunday 2015 Coverage of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Oct 18, 2015
Common Core is a disaster
[As president I'd] end Common Core. Common Core is a disaster. Bush is totally in favor of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination.
He's weak on immigration. He's in favor of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it. We have to end--education has to be local.
Source: 2015 announcement speeches of 2016 presidential hopefuls
Jun 16, 2015
Americans don't know their roots: study your ancestry
I was listening to some Europeans once and they seemed to agree that Americans didn't seem to know their roots. Of course, their roots go back for many more centuries than ours and may be easier to decipher because many of us have ancestors from
different countries. But it gave me a reason to think about what they said, and I realized in many cases they were right. I recently went to Scotland, as my mother's side of the family is of Scottish ancestry, and I've spent time studying that country &
therefore my heritage. It could even explain why I love golf so much--it originated in Scotland.I found that I enjoyed learning about Scotland and it has broadened my horizons as well as my interests as a businessman. I am building a golf course in
Aberdeen that will be spectacular, and I very much enjoyed my visiting and meeting the people from the culture and country. I also realized I still have a lot to learn, which will no doubt lead me into more interesting ventures as well as adventures.
Source: Think Like a Champion, by Donald Trump, p. 37
Apr 27, 2010
College degrees open a lot of doors
Q: I'm a young woman with an entrepreneurial mind. What advice would you give to me, go to college or start in the real estate business?DT: I would say, there is nothing like education. You can put it down and I can give you lots
of examples of people that didn't need education to get ahead in life. When you get a college degree it's like a card that says, "This person has accomplished something." It opens a lot of doors for you.
Source: Think Big, by Donald Trump, p.320-1
Sep 8, 2008
Teach citizenship; stop “dumbing down”
Our schools aren’t safe. On top of that, our kids aren’t learning. Too many are dropping out of school and into the street life-and too many of those who do graduate are getting diplomas that have been devalued into “certificates of attendance” by a
dumbed-down curriculum that asks little of teachers and less of students. Schools are crime-ridden and they don’t teach. How long do we think the U.S. can survive schools that pretend to teach while our kids pretend to learn? How can a kid hope to
build an American Dream when he hasn’t been taught how to spell the word “dream”?
Public education was never meant to only teach the three R’s, history, and science. It was also meant to teach citizenship. At the lower levels
it should cover the basics, help students develop study habits, and prepare those who desire higher education for the tough road ahead. It’s a mandate the public schools have delivered on since their inception. Until now.
Source: The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump, p. 67
Jul 2, 2000
End “creative spelling,” “estimating,” & “empowerment”
The people running our public schools don’t want to damage a student’s self-esteem. They’re concerned about “empowerment.” They’re worried kids will feel bad if they get a problem wrong or flunk a spelling test.
It’s better to pat a kid on the head and praise his “creative spelling” than point out that there is a traditional name for people with poor spelling skills. We call them illiterates.Some educators think being “judgmental” is the worst of all sins.
The problem is that life tends to judge-and harshly at that. There’s no room for error when you’re launching the space shuttle. Or mixing the concrete for the foundation of Trump Tower, for that matter.
Try giving a number “in the neighborhood of” on your tax returns and you may end up in a place where there’s a very definite number stamped on the back of your shirt.
Source: The America We Deserve, by Donald Trump, p. 69
Jul 2, 2000
Page last updated: Jan 03, 2022