Mike Petrilli suggests that Sen. John McCain has “zero interest in education.” That may be true. But the Republican senator from Arizona does have an informed opinion about NCLB. In the YouTube video at the bottom of this post, he calls NCLB “a good beginning” that has “some things that badly need fixing.” Not a very detailed policy position. Watch it and you’ll see that McCain understands the law and has some ideas about how to change it. MM, does that mean McCain’s grade is still “incomplete?”
Speaking of MM, she has an important post on vouchers. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., told the the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he’d be open to private school choice if research documents its effectiveness. That could change the dynamics of the education debate in the presidential elections—and possibly in the future of NCLB.
But wait, there’s more politics: Rep. Albert R. Wynn, D-Md., lost his primary this week. Back in October, Wynn released a letter complaining about the House’s NCLB draft, showing divisions in the Congressional Black Caucus. Kevin Carey surmises that Wynn took his stands to win over the Maryland State Teachers Association. With Wynn on his way out, the union could be on the outs with his successor.
