Comments on: Election 2008: Why Is No One Talking About Education?

By: WorldWideBlog » Should Elected Officials Send Their Kids to Public Schools?

WorldWideBlog » Should Elected Officials Send Their Kids to Public Schools? — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 02:37:24 +0000

[...] around election time), politicians start throwing about detailed plans and sound bites about how they will do better. After the polls close of course, it’s back to business as usual. Business as usual often [...]

By: WorldWideBlog » If Money Weren’t a Factor, What Would You Study?

WorldWideBlog » If Money Weren’t a Factor, What Would You Study? — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 21:54:31 +0000

[...] especially with tuition costs rising 35% since the 1990s. And with the growing emphasis on job-ready technical skills, such concerns are not entirely without merit. But with a B.A. diploma under your belt, making the [...]

By: WorldWideBlog » New Hampshire Debate ‘Whiffs’ on Education

WorldWideBlog » New Hampshire Debate ‘Whiffs’ on Education — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 14:02:12 +0000

[...] the risk of stealing a little thunder from our friend Peavine, whose posts will discuss each of the candidate’s views on education, what do you think of [...]

By: Peavine Porter

Peavine Porter — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 13:25:22 +0000

This election year is young yet, although I think most of the candidates have been running for 6 months to a year already, god bless them. I wonder if education will re-assert itself as an issue down the road. The struggles in the economy and the latest numbers suggesting a 5% unemployment rate may spur some of the discussions back towards more domestic issues. Education may be one of them.

Yeah, Watson, kids reading and doing math at school don’t make the highlight reel quite as often as the latest suicide bomber. In a way, the American focus on foreign policy is a dramatic shift in the country’s awareness, which is not an all bad thing. Paying attention to what’s going on globally especially as we all become more interconnected through the Internet and our economies is going to be crucial for long-term economic success. And precisely because of that interconnectedness, we’re going to need to focus on education to succeed on the new playing field.

By: redhead

redhead — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 12:07:40 +0000

Watson is right—at least according to media polls. education is usually in the middle of the list of issues important to voters although sometimes I think that if the questions were asked in a different way, education would get more priority. Somehow, it doesn’t seem as immediate as the economy or the Iraq occupation. I have noticed Obama and Edwards spending significant time in their stump speeches on education so its clearly important to them and to voters.

By: J. Watson

J. Watson — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 20:28:22 +0000

I think you make an excellent point, PP. Education has definitely taken a back burner in the 2008 election, with topics such as Iraq and immigration serving as the main course for snarky debates between the candidates (both within and across party lines). And while these topics are important, they clearly take center-stage at the expense of other significant issues.

Why?

The media, for one.

In its Election Guide 2008, The New York Times recently published an article http://politics.nytimes.com/election-guide/2008/issues/index.html#/context=index/issue=health outlining each major candidate’s views on six issues: health care, abortion, climate change, immigration, Iraq, and Iran.

Isn’t something missing?

If there’s one thing you don’t need a high-priced analyst to tell you, it’s that our education system is not living up to expectations. And whether you subscribe to the Republican ‘No Child Left Behind’ mantra, or the Democrats call for ‘more funding and more talented teachers,’ it’s clear that something must be done. But how can we expect significant (and quality) change to take place when education is viewed by MANY as a minor issue?

For those of you who like math, let’s see if I can provide a clear, concise answer:

Education â‰ Headlines, yet Headlines = Exposure, Exposure = Votes, Votes = Presidency. Therefore, Education â‰ Presidency.

Sound too simplistic and naÃ¯ve? Perhaps, but we’ll see if anyone talks about education before November.