Chris Coons on Education

Race to the Top: successful change for DE schools

COONS: I've complimented both Delaware's teachers and Delaware's governor for their remarkable progress under the "Race to the Top" program. The Obama/Biden administration set a very high bar. They offered a federal pot of money that was available for those states that were willing to make significant changes and Delaware made that progress. Delaware's teachers union, the DSEA, came to the table and made significant changes: to embrace charter and to make them more powerful, to make it possible for schools that are underperforming to be shut down or restructured and to change a system so that teacher compensation could be tied towards improvement by students in the classroom.

O'DONNELL: If you notice, he didn't answer the question as to whether or not he thought the teacher unions were too powerful, and that's probably because he got their endorsement.

I Have a Dream Foundation: private money for public college

COONS:As someone who spent 20 years working with a non-profit foundation, the I Have a Dream Foundation, that raises money from private individuals and helps provide scholarships for students, for teachers, and for a college education, I've been hands-on and engaged with some of the toughest schools in America and some teachers who are significantly under-supported and who needed additional resources. I think there's a significant role, though, for the federal government in providing financial support and encouragement, scholarships for those teachers in science and math. We need a new generation of teachers who are fully prepared to teach to the standards that No Child Left Behind established. And we frankly need to use collaborative learning techniques.

Every student deserves a quality public education

Opposes less federal or more local control of education.

Faith2Action.org is "the nation's largest network of pro-family groups." They provide election resources for each state, including Voter Guides and Congressional Scorecards excerpted here. The Faith2Action survey summarizes candidate stances on the following topic: 'Less federal and more state / local control of education'

Pro-transgender bathrooms, according to CC survey.

The Christian Coalition inferred whether candidates agree or disagree with the statement, 'Prohibiting Public Schools from Allowing Boys to Use Girls' Bathrooms; and Vice Versa?' Self-description by Christian Coalition of America: "These guides help give voters a clear understanding of where candidates stand on important pro-family issues" for all Senate and Presidential candidates.