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The Great Presidential Mashup The Democrats on education.


Updated Friday, Sept. 7, 2007, at 10:24 AM ET

(Continued from page 3)

And we have to have also—we have to make sure that we deal with this achievement gap. One out of two minorities in this country, one out of two African-American, Latino kids don't make it through high school. They drop out. That has to be combatted with at-risk programs, with programs that deal with more parental involvement. We have to start early, universal preschool. We did this in New Mexico. We did this. Kids under 4—full-day kindergarten.

We have to have healthy breakfast for every child. And finally, we have to find a way to give every American access to a college education.

CNN/YouTube Debate, July 23, 2007

I would scrap it [No Child Left Behind]. It doesn't work.

It is the law. It is not just an unfunded mandate, but the one-size-fits-all doesn't work.

It doesn't emphasize teacher training. It doesn't emphasize the disabled kids.

It doesn't—English-learning kids don't get help.

The worst thing it does is it takes districts and schools that are not doing well, takes their funds away, penalizes them. If a school is not doing well, we help that school.

The last thing we need to do, relating to teachers, is the key to a good education in this country is a strong teacher. I would have a minimum wage for all our teachers, $40,000 per year.

And I would emphasize science and math.

And I would also bring, to make sure our kids that are not scoring well in science and math, 29th in the world, to unlock those minds in science and math, I would have a major federal program of art in the schools ... music, dancing, sculpture, and the arts.

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