OnTheIssues interviews with presidential candidates: on Education

Paul Adams: Supports school vouchers

A: I am for it. I am also for paid family leave.

Marc Allan Feldman: Vouchers for school choice, to increase parental control

A: Strongly support. Education of children should be seen as a primary responsibility of the family, not the government. I support any program that increases parental engagement and control of the education of children.

Mark Stewart: I'd prefer no public schools, but vouchers will do

A: I'd prefer to see no public schools in the first place. But if state must have them, vouchers are wise. They let students go to the schools that are best for them. They simultaneously make most schools BETTER. When schools need to compete for students carrying vouchers, the schools make themselves more attractive. Those that don't, fold. That's not a bad thing. Kids who see their decrepit schools fold go 20 minutes away to a BETTER school.

Q: What do you say to voucher opponents?

A: Those who rail against school choice are keeping kids down. Many students travel 45 to 60 minutes each way to get to a better school. Vouchers start bringing better schools closer to them. Education is too important to be besmirched by politics. There should not be federal grants for education. I dislike state grants as well, but as president I control no single school.

Mark Stewart: Privatize DC schools with vouchers under Congress' control

A: Congress Constitutionally controls education in one area: D.C. Here I have veto power and I will use it. I will implore privatizing education in DC, at least giving families vouchers to use in Maryland and Virginia schools if those in DC are deficient. Vouchers make schools better because they have to COMPETE. Do well for your students, or FOLD.

Jim Hedges: Vouchers for school choice

A: yes

Jill Stein: Common Core empowers contractors over teachers

Stein: In general, high stakes testing is more than counterproductive--it is destructive. It is used as a political tool against teachers--targeting low-income and people of color. Our educational system should target lifetime learning--with full and equitable funding; and eliminating disparities by race. Testing for diagnostic purposes as part of standards [is ok, but we should have] curriculum written by teachers--not by corporate contractors.

OnTheIssues: So what about a thumbs-up or thumbs-down on Common Core, since it addresses some of those issues and not others?

Stein: It's not separable from the issues above so I'd say thumbs down. All schools and all students should have the option to opt out. And that's not enough--because so much of school curricula have been destroyed--we need to teach multi-dimensionally and make schools relevant, using the arts, engaging the community, and more.

Jill Stein: Charter schools assault the treasure of our public schools

Stein: Public education is another example where there has been a complete scam [regarding privatization]--charter schools are not better than public schools--and in many cases they are far worse. They cherry-pick their students so they can show better test scores. The treasure of our public schools system has been assaulted by the process of privatization.

Roseanne Barr: Oppose teacher-led prayer in public schools

Q: Oppose

Roseanne Barr: Supports parents choosing schools via vouchers

Q: Support

Virgil Goode: Allow school prayer on a voluntary basis.

A: Prayer should be allowed on a voluntary basis.

Virgil Goode: Vouchers are fine; but no finds available now

A: Vouchers are fine, but no funds available now.

David Walker: Vouchers ok, if they have proper protections in place

A: Yes, with protections to prevent abuse an ensure equity.

Q: What sort of protections?

A: To prevent discrimination and ensure that equal opportunities are being afforded.

David Walker: No school prayer, but moment of silence ok

A: Oppose. But I would support allowing a teacher-led moment of silence for prayer, reflection or whatever. This exists in certain states, including Virginia where my kids went to school.

Q: Public or private?

A: Some time in public schools and some in parochial schools.

Rocky Anderson: Opposes teacher-led prayer in public schools

A: Strongly Oppose

Rocky Anderson: Opposes parents choosing schools via vouchers

A: Oppose

Andre Barnett: Supports teacher-led prayer in public schools

A: Agree, depending on the type of school.

Andre Barnett: Opposes school vouchers

A: Disagree, we need to make all schools accountable. We cannot allow some schools to excel while others fade into repetitious failure to succeed.

Robert Steele: Teachers should be well paid and paid for performance

• A Nation's best defense is an educated citizenry--we've blown it
• Elevate education to the top priority at all levels, with teachers well paid and pay for performance
• End the reliance of education on real estate taxes where local elites cheat the public
• Strip two thirds of the secret intelligence budget and apply to quality free education & research

Robert Steele: Supports teacher-led prayer in public schools

A: Support. No society has ever held together without a strong religious under-pinning. This is a matter best left to states, and within states, to individual school districts responsive to their community.

Robert Steele: Opposes school vouchers

A: Oppose. When examined carefully, vouchers turn out to be a tax break for the well-off and do not impact on schools. The federal education system is completely out of control and corrupt. Teachers need to be brought into a new class of public servant that is properly paid, with pay tied to results.

JL Mealer: School prayer is ok, but not if at all mandatory

A: SUPPORT with huge limits (strictly as moments of silence and/or pledge of allegiance). Must not be mandatory for students to stick around to hear Hindu mantras, or Pentecostal Holy Rollers dancing with snakes. Religion is too diverse, so to each his own. To allow ONE religious faction or the teacher him or herself to decide the 'teacher led prayer' would be unconstitutional as it hinders freedom of religious expression.

Scott Keller: We need comprehensive education reform, not NCLB

Scott Keller: Unfair to turn our schools into pulpit for any religion

A: Opposed. I believe students should be allowed to pray if they wish, but I am a promoter of truth & fact-based teaching in schools. And I am a supporter and promoter of the first amendment--all of it. Religion of course can be taught, but it needs to be from an objective standpoint rather than a promotion of assumption to the same level as fact. Religious studies of a faith perspective need to be handled by parents and churches, not schools and governments. Schools and governments need to be only interested in facts and seeking the truth. It is fine for those who are religious to use their time to pray, but unfair, illegal, and unconstitutional to turn our schools into a bully pulpit for any or all religions, which is what would happen if we would allow school-sponsored or teacher led prayer.

Scott Keller: No privatization of education

A: Oppose. ALL schools should be equally good. The entire education system needs to be overhauled. Education needs to be fully customized, include all learning styles, be 100% free (which can be done while at the same time reducing federal taxes and shrinking federal government through a bit of innovation), be mastery based rather than time based, be self-paced and teacher facilitated in each subject, and be geared to help students go far beyond their teachers rather than it being a poor transfer of insufficient knowledge as it is now. Deciding to turn over America's education to privatization is a cop out, and still isn't the true reform we need to see.

Brian Moore: Too much emphasis on high tech in classrooms

Brian Moore: Fully fund libraries & museums to preserve culture

Brian Moore: Full and equal funding of public education