Blog

Your Education Road Map

Politics K-12

Politics K-12 kept watch on education policy and politics in the nation’s capital and in the states. This blog is no longer being updated, but you can continue to explore these issues on edweek.org by visiting our related topic pages: Federal, States.

Federal

Who Speaks for Obama? Just Asking.

By David J. Hoff — October 09, 2008 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

Now I know what people at “Georgetown cocktail parties” are talking about.

At the American Enterprise Institute yesterday, education’s man-about-town Rick Hess said the chattering class is wondering which of Sen. Barack Obama’s many education advisers gives the true portrait of what the Democratic presidential candidate would do on education. The most glaring example, he said, is that the Obama team includes many supporters of Teach for America, but also Linda Darling-Hammond, a Stanford University professor who has been critical of the program.

Michael Johnston, who was at AEI on behalf of the Obama campaign for a forum on the presidential candidates’ ideas on social entrepreneurship, acknowledged that Rick asked a good question.

Obama’s modus operandi is to seek advice from people with differing points of view, said Johnston, the principal of Mapleton Expeditionary School for the Arts near Denver and a former TFAer.

“At the end of the day, he makes decisions based on what he thinks is important,” said Johnston, who helped start New Leaders for New Schools with Jonathan Schnur—one of Obama’s team.

In particular, Johnston pointed to Obama’s Sept. 9 speech on education in Riverside, Ohio. The Democrat went to a state where charter schools have been controversial, particularly among teachers’ unions, and stated that he would double federal funding for charter schools, Johnston said.

The answer didn’t satisfy Lisa Graham Keegan, who has been the primary spokeswoman on education for the McCain campaign.

“I’ve had the opportunity to debate about seven different people,” said Keegan, the former Arizona schools chief said. (I counted at least six.) In particular, Darling-Hammond’s message hasn’t been consistent with other advisers on whether Obama supports linking teacher pay to students’ test scores.

“I’m going to tell you right now, she’s not going to say what you’re saying unless you all have had a come to Jesus moment,” Keegan told Johnston.

What matters, Johnston said, is what Sen. Obama has said.

“The proof of that is in the words of the senator and the platform,” he said.

With all of that in mind, I encourage you to watch an Oct. 21 debate between Keegan and Darling-Hammond, which edweek.org will Webcast live from Teachers College in New York City. We all can meet in a Georgetown bar on Oct. 22 and talk about it.

Related Tags:

A version of this news article first appeared in the Politics K-12 blog.

Events

Mathematics K-12 Essentials Forum Helping Students Succeed in Math
Student Well-Being Live Online Discussion A Seat at the Table: The Power of Emotion Regulation to Drive K-12 Academic Performance and Wellbeing
Wish you could handle emotions better? Learn practical strategies with researcher Marc Brackett and host Peter DeWitt.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Federal How Medicaid, SNAP Changes in Trump's Big Budget Bill Could Affect Schools
The bill will stress a major funding stream schools rely on, leading to ripple effects that make it harder for schools to offer free meals.
6 min read
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington.
President Donald Trump signs his signature bill of tax breaks and spending cuts at the White House on July 4, 2025, in Washington. The bill cuts federal spending for Medicaid and food stamps—cuts that stand to affect students and trickle down to schools.
Evan Vucci/AP
Federal Opinion A D.C. Insider Explains What’s Changed in Education Policy
The biggest thing that people don’t understand about federal education policy? How much the details really matter.
7 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Federal What Superintendents Think About a Steady Clip of Federal K-12 Changes
A state superintendent and two district leaders shared their thoughts on the latest changes coming from Washington.
4 min read
From left, Quentin J. Lee, superintendent of Talladega City Schools, Keith Konyk, superintendent of Elizabeth Forward School District, and Eric Mackey, Alabama's state superintendent of education, discuss the latest K-12 policy changes at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 on July 2, 2025.
From left, Quentin J. Lee, superintendent of Talladega City Schools in Alabama; Keith Konyk, superintendent of Elizabeth Forward School District in Pennsylvania; and Eric Mackey, Alabama's state superintendent of education, discuss the latest K-12 policy changes at the ISTELive 25 + ASCD Annual Conference 25 on July 2, 2025.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week
Federal The Senate Passed a Federal Voucher Program. What's in It?
The measure would create a national program funding private school tuition through tax credits, though states would have to opt in.
7 min read
The Senate side of the Capitol is seen in Washington, early Monday, June 30, 2025, as Republicans plan to begin a final push to advance President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts package.
The Senate side of the Capitol is seen in Washington early on June 30, 2025, hours before Republicans narrowly passed President Donald Trump's big tax breaks and spending cuts package. The bill includes the first major federal private school choice program.
J. Scott Applewhite/AP