PTA info about presidential candidate's stand on education issues

[aspenc...@gmail.com]

Here is an email sent out by the national PTA informing us about the
candidate's stand on education issues. In addition, please go to
copta.org to view Colorado PTA's views on amendments on our ballot.
Whatever your view - everyone vote!

Aspen Creek PTA



It is critical that all PTA members demonstrate their role as child
advocates by becoming educated about candidates for public office and
their positions on legislative issues that are important to children
and public schools. In today's media climate, it is easy to be
sidetracked from the things that are truly important in our leaders—
their stance on the fundamental issues.

To help you make informed decisions about the presidential candidates
of the two major political parties, PTA prepared this non-partisan
comparison guide to better inform our membership of some key issues in
the upcoming presidential election. PTA endorses no single political
party, candidate, or platform, and will work with any administration
to further our goal of advancing education and parental involvement.
This guide is for informational purposes only, and should not be seen
as endorsement by mention or exclusion of party or candidate.
The guide compares Republican presidential candidate John McCain,
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and PTA's positions on
issues of public education and child welfare.



PTA's Long Standing Positions
(as updated in February 2008)

The federal government should provide parents multiple opportunities
to be active participants in their child's education. Studies have
documented that regardless of the economic, ethnic, or cultural
background of the family, parent involvement in a child's education is
a major factor in determining success in school. Though Congress
cannot mandate parental engagement, the federal government should
create a system of accountability designed to encourage parents to be
active partners in their child's education, while ensuring local
flexibility. Further, it is imperative that parents know immediately
that their child's school is failing, the exact cause of the failure,
what the state is doing about it, and the options available to parents
and students – all in a very clear and understandable manner.


John McCain
(Directly from Campaign Website)

John McCain believes we must empower parents with knowledge about
their child's performance and give parents the ability to choose the
school their child attends. He plans to provide parents with
information needed to choose the best school for their child. Further,
McCain believes parental involvement is critical to the success of any
pre-K program. He supports educating parents on the basics of
preparing their children for entering school, such as reading to their
children as a primary way of expanding their child's vocabulary.


Barack Obama
(Directly from Campaign Website)

Barack Obama believes parents need to be meaningfully engaged in their
children’s education and work with schools to improve student
achievement and school quality. In a collaborated effort with state
leaders, Obama wants to create a meaningful parent report card that
gives parents the concrete information they need to help improve their
child’s performance each year and plan for post-secondary education.
Obama’s plan would encourage schools and parents to establish a school-
family contract laying out expectations for student attendance,
behavior and homework. These contracts, written in the family’s native
language, would include information on tutoring, academic support, and
public school choice options for students. Obama calls on parents to
turn off the TV and video games, make sure their children are getting
their homework done and work to take a greater stake in their child’s
education both in and outside of school.

The online version of this document, found at http://www.pta.org/PTA-McCain-Obama_chart.pdf,
offers the side by side comparison of this and several other issues:

* No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
* Teachers
* Special Education
* School Choice/Vouchers
* High School (Drop-out/Achievement Gap)
* English Language Learners
* Global Workforce/Technology
* Child Welfare, Child Protection

You may download and copy the guide to distribute to your PTA. For
questions or more information about this document please contact:

National PTA
Office of Programs and Public Policy
1400 L St., NW, Suite 300
Washington, DC 20005
(202) 289-6790