ERIC Number: EJ819938
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Oct-31
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0009-5982
EISSN: N/A
The Uneducated Candidates
Selingo, Jeffrey J.; Hebel, Sara
Chronicle of Higher Education, v55 n10 pA6 Oct 2008
During the three presidential debates this fall, both John McCain and Barack Obama opened by thanking their university hosts. If not for their locations, it's likely one would not have heard the words "college," "university," or "higher education" even uttered in the debates. Indeed, it wasn't until the final debate that Senator McCain mentioned the word "college." Senator Obama didn't score much better. According to transcripts, he said "college" three times in each of the first two debates, usually in passing reference to concerns about affordability. It wasn't until the last question of the final debate that the two major-party candidates fielded a question that focused squarely on education policy. That's when the debate's moderator, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, asked whether it poses a national-security threat that the U.S. trails many nations in students' abilities to compete in mathematics and science. Senator Obama responded first, pitching his plan to give college students up to $4,000 for tuition in exchange for community service. Senator McCain urged changes in the student-loan programs to raise how much students can borrow. Despite those lofty statements about the importance of education, trying to pin either candidate down on details, has been nearly impossible.
Descriptors: Higher Education, Legislators, Political Candidates, Educational Policy, Debate, Political Campaigns, Transcripts (Written Records), College Students, Mathematics Skills, Science Achievement, Student Financial Aid, Student Loan Programs, Elections
Chronicle of Higher Education. 1255 23rd Street NW Suite 700, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: 800-728-2803; e-mail: circulation@chronicle.com; Web site: http://chronicle.com/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A