No Child Left Behind Act
Obama
Barack Obama puts children first. He will fight to make sure our classrooms are adequately funded and led by high-quality teachers, and reforming No Child Left Behind to work for the students.
McCain
John McCain voted for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans rather than much-needed funding for our students, teachers, and failing local classrooms.
Attracting and Retaining Teachers
Obama
Obama creates new scholarships to recruit and retain the best teachers for American classrooms. His plan also creates a new Career Ladder initiative that will reward teachers for success in the classroom.
McCain
John McCain repeatedly voted against putting 100,000 new teachers in our classrooms to reduce class size.
Department of Education
Obama
Barack Obama supports the Department of Education and the work it has done to ensure a quality education for all Americans.
McCain
John McCain sided with the far Right, supporting the idea of abolishing the Department of Education altogether.
Helping Disadvantaged Students
Obama
Barack Obama has passed measures to provide safe, quality afterschool and summer learning programs for students and will work to expand these as president.
McCain
John McCain voted against additional funding for programs that help disadvantaged students in low-income communities.
Early Childhood Education
Obama
Obama will expand Head Start and early childhood education programs to give children the foundation they need to succeed in school.
McCain
John McCain opposes expanding the Head Start program and doesn't have a plan for early childhood education.
Higher Education
Obama
Barack Obama will make college affordable to all Americans, increasing Pell Grants and offering a $4000 annual credit to use towards college tuition in exchange for community service.
McCain
John McCain repeatedly voted against efforts to make college more affordable, including reducing student loan costs and providing college tuition tax credits.
Vouchers
Obama
Barack Obama believes free, quality public education is the heart of the American promise. He supports public charter schools, but not vouchers.
McCain
John McCain will take much-needed money away from our schools to fund private schools instead.
