Campaign Watch: 5 Early Education Questions for Tonight’s Debate

The second debate between presidential candidates Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) takes place tonight at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn. Early education has already emerged as a topic in the first presidential debate. Here are some questions Early Ed Watch would like to see the candidates answer tonight or in the final debate later this month:

1. A generation ago the United State led the world in levels of educational attainment, but rates of high school and college graduation have stagnated, and we are now at risk of losing our leadership position on education. Columnist David Brooks has identified this “skills slowdown” as “the biggest issue facing the country,” and has proposed increased early education investment as one response. As president, what will you do to reverse the skills slowdown and restore our nation’s position as first in the world in educational attainment?

2. One in four American students who enter high school as ninth graders fails to graduate within four years, as do half of Latino and African American students. Research shows that failure to read and do math at grade level by the end of third grade is a strong predictor of later school failure and dropout. As president, what will you do to ensure that all American students achieve grade level proficiency by third grade?

3. For Sen. McCain: You have proposed freezing domestic spending at current levels. Federal funding for the Child Care and Development Block Grant has been virtually frozen since 2002, and 150,000 children have lost child care assistance as a result. At a time when American families are under greater economic pressure than ever, how can you be sure that this policy won’t undermine our recovery by making it more difficult for parents to work and support their families?

4. For Sen. Obama: You have proposed investing an additional $10 billion annually in early education programs. Given the current economic situation, do you see a need to scale back this investment? If you must scale back your plan in order to get it through Congress, which investments will you prioritize, and which will you postpone?

5. In your view, what is the appropriate division of responsibility to pay for an ensure the quality of early education for young children, between parents, states, and the federal government?