Candidates’ K-12 Views Take Shape

This from Education Week:

McCain and Obama Tussle On Choice, Teacher Issues

As their education plans begin to crystallize, sharper differences are emerging between John McCain and Barack Obama on school choice, teacher preparation, and tutoring, even as neither presidential candidate has released a detailed proposal on revising the No Child Left Behind Act.

Sen. McCain, R-Ariz., has pledged to direct federal money to alternative teacher-certification programs, give parents more direct access to supplemental educational services, and expand private school choice, specifically through online education and by expanding the federally funded voucher experiment in Washington.

Sen. John McCain of Arizona appears at the NAACP annual convention in Cincinnati on July 16. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee pledged to expand private school choice and direct federal funding to alternative teacher-certification programs.

Obama, D-Ill., has called for spending $18 billion more annually on education. He wants to expand teacher-residency programs, which help bolster field experiences for prospective educators while allowing them to earn certification from a university program. And he’s been opposed to allowing public money to go to private school vouchers...