Federal Ed. Policy a Whipping Boy for GOP Hopefuls

[proud2BlibKansan]

The Republicans running for president may be working to stand out from the pack on some issues, but it already appears that most of the nine current candidates are largely united when it comes to K-12 policy: They want to dramatically shrink the federal role.

Some candidates, including Reps. Michele Bachmann of Minnesota and Ron Paul of Texas, are outspoken in saying they want to see the U.S. Department of Education scrapped.

Others, including the current front-runners, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas and former Gov. Mitt Romney of Massachusetts, are more nuanced on some education issues but have pumped up their rhetoric around getting the federal government out of schools.

And nearly every candidate is largely disparaging of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which established a federal system of accountability—and became the centerpiece of GOP President George W. Bush’s domestic legacy.

That near-united stance marks a shift from the 2000 campaign, when analysts say there were only small distinctions between the K-12 policy platforms of then-Gov. Bush and Vice President Al Gore, the Democrat.

more ... http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2011/09/29/06gop_ep.h31.html?r=809583067