Castronova 1
Casey Castronova
Social Work Major
Class of 2010
A Donkey and An Elephants Perspective on Education
When I first realized I was going to be writing a paper on politics, I will admit
that I was discouraged and nervous. I have never followed any political event, so I knew I
had a lot of research to do. In high school, my principal made the entire senior class
register to vote, and I declared myself as an independent; I did not even know what that
meant, I just knew I was neither a Democrat nor a Republican. I did not vote in the
primary elections, and even though I am not an expert, I do know so much more about
the candidates than I thought I ever would. The two candidates that I will be comparing
and contrasting on the issue of education are Mr. Barack Obama and Mr. John McCain.
Barack Obama has a rather strong platform on education ranging from pre-school
programs to college programs. He has developed a “Zero to Five” plan to offer early care
and education to infants, which would be crucial for preparation for kindergarteners.
There has been a problem with middle school aged kids dropping out of school, and
Obama wants to pass legislation to help with funding for intervention tactics and
programs to keep the students in school (“Education: a world” 2008). I feel that this is
very important because I am currently working with the Liberty Partnership Program,
which is a program in New York that works to keep high school students from dropping
out. Personally, I feel that more funding is needed in this area because the drop out rates
are increasing and the schools need help with intervention, specifically financial
intervention. Also, Obama plans on supporting learning opportunities through schools
Castronova 2
and organizations in various communities for disadvantaged kids during the summer
months.
There are many fabulous ideas strung throughout Barack Obama’s stand on
education that will be very beneficial to families, especially mine in particular. He wants
to have child care that is inexpensive and of high-quality to help out working families
who may not be able to otherwise afford child care. After-school programs will hopefully
receive more funding (perhaps even double!) and then will be able to cater to an
additional one million kids (“Education: a world” 2008). This will help save parents
money from hiring a babysitter or caregiver after school. Since most families have two
working parents, there is a need for places for kids to go after school until they can get
picked up by someone. I know when I was younger, my brother and I were in an afterschool program for a few months while my parents were working awkward shifts, and it
was a great program. I feel that it is an opportunity that should be opened to more kids
who need the place to go after school.
One of the most important ideas Obama has regarding college students is his
proposal for the “American Opportunity Tax Credit,” which would be a universal and
completely refundable credit that will guarantee that the first $4,000 of one’s college
tuition is free for most Americans. Also, the tax credit will cover two-thirds of the cost of
the school’s tuition at an average public college or university. In addition to that, he
wants the community colleges to be free for most students (“Education: a world” 2008).
This would tremendously help families who have teenagers in college or preparing for
college. It would encourage more kids to attend a community college or a four-year
college because there would be less of a financial peril associated with it. The comfort of
Castronova 3
knowing student loans will not be haunting you for the rest of your life is a nice thought
for any student or family.
John McCain has a very simplistic plan for education if he is elected into office.
Basically, he wants all public schools to be responsible for providing the students with an
education as well as keeping the parents and communities updated on the students’
progress. Also, McCain feels that the low standards of some students who were bumped
through their educational career thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act are simply
unacceptable. He says that we can finally see the negative affects of the Act, and find
some solutions to help the students (“Education: excellence” 2008). However, he does
not offer any solutions, which makes him look unreliable because he cannot back what he
says. He feels it is important to address the cultural problems found in the educational
system; yet, he does not provide any further details on how this might be achieved
(“Education: excellence” 2008). McCain also wants the school system to be as studentcentered as possible and avoid becoming a refuge for kids who are “bad.” I would
personally like to know how McCain plans on following through with this idea. If the
“bad kids” are not going to school, where are they going? In my opinion, with more kids
out of school, the community crime rates, drug prevalence and teen pregnancy rates are
going to increase. If kids do not get a high school diploma because they end up dropping
out or are practically forced out, their futures will most likely be unpromising.
John McCain is less prepared to deal with families and the extremely important
issue of education. He believes that every student is entitled to the best education he or
she can receive, from the school of the parent’s choice. His educational reform proposal
focuses on giving parents across the nation the right to choose where their child (or
Castronova 4
children) goes to school. The main concern he has regarding education is the placement
of the child. McCain does not touch on how the children are going to get transported
from the school they go to now to the newer, better school that their parents choose for
them (“Education: excellence” 2008). Then, when the premium schools are overcrowded
and understaffed, what is going to happen? The only good coming from this situation is
that families have the choice of where to send their children to get an education, and have
the opportunity to stay out of the “failing schools.”
After my research of the presidential candidates, I feel that Barack Obama is in
support of issues that I hold close to my heart. Obama has developed policies that I
defend and will be dealing with professionally, as a social worker, which many families
will benefit from. He wants to raise the minimum wage to balance out inflation and he
wants to increase and expand the Earned Income Tax Credit. This will give full-time
working families an opportunity to earn a realistic living wage, and it will increase the
number of qualified parents for the benefits (“Family” 2008). Obama wants to provide
workers with an increased number of paid sick days during the year, persuade the states
to provide paid leave, enlarge the Family and Medical Leave Act to cover leave for more
purposes, guarantee every American affordable and quality health care, strengthen
fatherhood by enforcing payments of child support and practicing prevention methods for
domestic violence (“Family” 2008).
Hillary Clinton, the other Democratic candidate, has an education platform that is
similar to Barack Obama’s. However, when it comes to helping the family, Obama has
more ideas that help a greater number of people- not just the middle class. John McCain,
on the other hand, I feel is totally unprepared to serve in the White House because he
Castronova 5
does not have any complete solutions for any educational problems to help aid families;
education is not the only thing he seems to be unsure about. Mr. Barack Obama and Mrs.
Hillary Clinton have both noted on several occasions that John McCain is unprepared to
deal with the housing crisis. Obama stated, “‘But don’t expect any real answers. Don’t
expect it to actually help struggling families,” (Cooper 2008). Clinton said, “‘Just two
weeks ago, Senator McCain said he’d rather do nothing than something about the housing
crisis” (Cooper 2008). This is the reason why I would not vote for John McCain for
president; he is not consistent or very reliable. Between Hillary Clinton and Barack
Obama, I would vote for Barack Obama because he has more plans in store for all kinds
of families and not just the middle class. Even though I am too late for the primaries, I
know that I will definitely be voting Democrat for the 2008 presidential election.
Castronova 6
Works Cited
Cooper, M. “McCain Shifts on Aid to Some Mortgage Holders.” The New York Times
11 April 2008: A17.
“Education: Excellence, Choice, and Competition in American Education.” McCain.
2008. 11 April 2008 <http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/19ce50b5daa8-4795-b92d-92bd0d985bca.htm>.
“Education: A World Class Education.” Obama’08. 2008. 11 April 2008
<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/education>.
“Family: Strengthening Families and Communities.” Obama’08. 2008. 11 April 2008
<http://www.barackobama.com/issues/family>.