Grab the popcorn—the first debate between Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, and Donald Trump, the Republican contender, is on Monday night.
You probably know by now that the candidates are far more likely to be asked whether they have pneumonia and how they would get Mexico to pay for a border wall than about, say, teacher evaluation.
But if you were the debate moderator and could ask the candidates one question, what would it be?
We turned this question loose on, of course, Twitter. Here’s what our followers came up with:
@educationweek @PoliticsK12 I’d ask @HillaryClinton & @realDonaldTrump how they’ll eradicate the school-to-prison pipeline. @njleftbehind
— Vivett Dukes (@LotyssBlossym) September 22, 2016
@PoliticsK12 how do you plan to ensure students with disabilities receive adequate resources and supports at all levels?
— Will Ragland (@citizenwillis) September 22, 2016
@PoliticsK12 Should parents have the right to opt their children out of any federally mandated standardized assessments?
— Dan Mella (@MellaPHS) September 22, 2016
Why has Common Core failed to reproduce Performance Gap success of “MA Education Miracle”? What was critical difference? @PoliticsK12
— Forfare Davis (@Pseudoplotinus) September 20, 2016
@PoliticsK12 How will they ensure Teachers are prepared 4 the classroom & have the tools they need to make their Students successful?
— Lennon Audrain (@LennonAudrain) September 22, 2016
.@PoliticsK12 How do we change the negative narratives driving qualified, passionate people away from going into teaching? #EDdebate
— David Coffey (@delta_dc) September 22, 2016
@PoliticsK12 How will they ensure Teachers are prepared 4 the classroom & have the tools they need to make their Students successful?
— Lennon Audrain (@LennonAudrain) September 22, 2016
@educationweek @PoliticsK12 What’s your plan to improve education for children with disabilities and minorities?
— Carola Pagan (@CarolaPagan1) September 22, 2016
@educationweek @PoliticsK12 What would you do to improve mental health services in our public schools?
— Bill Pepin (@wpepin1970) September 23, 2016
@politicsk12 What is your specific vision/plan to improve the inefficiencies and failures of the public education?
— Daniel Graybeal,M.Ed (@Mr_graybeal) September 23, 2016
@PoliticsK12 What does ESSA local control that also promotes equity look like, given states’ poor track record on this front? https://t.co/lU5Mit5o4Q
— Rachel Gwaltney (@rachelgwaltney) September 23, 2016
@PoliticsK12 How will you reprioritize education in our country to reverse trends that are caused by a lack of educational opportunities? https://t.co/N5Kd9oXtwR
— M. F. Royer (@M_F_Royer) September 23, 2016
@PoliticsK12: How will you continue legacy of past 2 presidents to advocate 4 financial literacy across US? #PACFCYA https://t.co/VuSrLwqd4R
— Susan Sharkey (@Susan_Colorado) September 23, 2016
Some folks preferred to email us their responses:
“Competition—charters, vouchers, and the like—imply winners and losers. What would you [do as] President to support public schools which [is the choice] provided to all children in the country?” wrote Debbie Wussland, a former school board member from Jefferson County, Kentucky, which includes Louisville.
And Democrats for Education Reform, which supports Clinton, emailed us a few suggestions, including this one:
“Last year, President Obama signed into law the Every Student Succeeds Act. While the law provides a great deal of new flexibility to states regarding testing, accountability, and school interventions, it also has requirements in each of those areas. Would you continue going down the path the Obama Administration has followed to set clear guidelines for monitoring and enforcing the law? Or would you open up policies like annual student testing for re-negotiation?”