Now that John McCain has captured the GOP nomination, it seems fitting to closely examine his views on education.
That's not such as easy task.
Education only recently made the list of issues on his campaign web site. And I think this quote from a recent story by a colleague of mine at Education Week says it all:
"I don't think he has a strong track record of putting education at the top of his priorities," said Frank Davidson, the superintendent of the 8,000-student Casa Grande Elementary School District in Casa Grande, Ariz.
Still, if you dig deep enough, you can find some insight into McCain's views on education.
Let's start with his web site. Here, you'll find a little bit about his education ideas, including a video where he extols the benefits of school choice. But what about President Bush's signature education law, No Child Left Behind?
McCain doesn't talk much about No Child Left Behind (which he voted for as a member of the Senate in 2001) on the campaign trail, but he has said he favors some changes in testing requirements, particularly as they relate to English-language learners.
In 2005, McCain told CNN's Larry King the act was a "major milestone."
A campaign spokesman told The Hill last year that McCain generally supports NCLB, but would like more emphasis on math and science. The spokesman then said that McCain could withhold support for renewing the law depending on what's in the bill. Thanks -- that helps a lot.
According to this National Education Association account of a town hall meeting in New Hampshire last year, Sen. McCain advocated for more flexibility in measuring progress in students with disabilities and English-language learners.
Also telling, in March 2007, the senator's hometown newspaper, the Arizona Republic, did a story on the state Congressional delegation's views on NCLB and McCain did not respond to "repeated requests for comment."
What I've found in various news stories and speech transcripts is that Sen. McCain feels NCLB is a great start. Well, then, where does he think the law needs to go from here?
He doesn't get specific on other education reform ideas either. (Although this week, he waded into the controversial, special education issue of autism, declaring there's "strong evidence" that vaccines are linked to the disorder--even though leading research and health groups so far don't believe there's any evidence for such a link.)
In the Dec. 12 debate in Iowa, when asked about improving schools, McCain gave a laundry list of fairly vague answers--from school choice to rewarding good teachers. As a presidential candidate in 2000, he proposed a federal voucher program and tax breaks for high-performing teachers, but he hasn't unveiled any such proposals this time around.
McCain is a foreign-relations, tax-cut, campaign-finance-reform candidate. Education is not his thing. Depending on your perspective, McCain's relative silence on education may be a good thing. If you think the federal government has grossly overreached into the state business of education, then he may be your guy. However, like it or not, McCain will have to deal with No Child Left Behind.