Mike Huckabee. “Who’s that?” you’re asking. The winner of the Iowa Republican caucus, that’s who. He’s a political outsider that seems to have made some segments of the GOP establishment a little nervous. More to our purposes, he’s a huge supporter of the arts in education. I know. You need a moment to accept that a Republican not only is a strong education supporter, but a champion of the arts as well. Take a breather. I’ll be right here.

Huckabee brings in a decent education resume to the office of the President, if he manages to climb into that position. From 2004 to 2006, Huckabee was Chairman of the Education Committee of the States. He worked with governors, legislators, and educators to advance educational policy and research. He also was Chairman of the Education and Arts Commission. He claims to be an education turn-around specialist and points to his work as Arkansas governor during 1996 to 2006 (although lifting some test scores from way below average to almost average has been pointed out to be less than extraordinary). His expansion of scholarships such as the Academic Challenge Scholarship and the Governor’s Distinguished Scholarship for residents helped keep more of their high achievers in the state for college. He expanded funding to both four-year and two-year institutions in Arkansas, so he does have a track record in supporting higher education. You can read more about it in “What They Saw in Arkansas.”

But we haven’t heard that much about higher ed on the campaign trail. Huckabee believes that an arts education helps to develop the right brain and the creative abilities of students. He believes that children with those capacities can be the visionaries and innovators of tomorrow, which is just as important as having strong analytical thinkers in math and science. Yes, yes! I’m right there with you.

An NPR clip of one of his speeches reveals that Huckabee thinks that it’s important for students to be able to access a college education. However, he doesn’t propose any plans to ensure or expand access to it. In a USA Today article, “Candidates Split on Cutting Costs for Higher Education,” Huckabee states that he’s not in favor of tax credits for students just for going to a community college. He believes that students should earn scholarships and grants to gain access to college. That’s admirable, but that certainly doesn’t address how to fix the higher education access issue.

That’s about it. I know. Not overwhelming, but the appreciation of an arts education is novel. We could do far worse for education than by choosing Mike Huckabee for President.

Next week: Barack Obama.