Election 2004 - The candidates on education
Final Judgement
Both candidates do not have a definite education plan that is guaranteed to succeed. Bush's plan has good intentions, but seems shallow-minded and does not address the root problems, leading to unforseen consequences when schools and students pursue their own interests rather than the interests of the collective nation. Bush promotes his ideals concerning education, but these do not introduce policy. In short, Bush's plan will likely lead to no major change in the status quo or the trend that schools are traveling on. Bush's plan is not helping education turn around from a slow decline, but because the measurements indicate otherwise, he does not wish to change policy. If implemented further, it would probably continue the current trend. Therefore, his policy will most likely have a negative impact.
Kerry's plan seems far-fetched and very liberal. It relies on a delicate support structure that needs all parts to work efficiently. People need to buy into his plan and it needs bipartisan support. He needs solid reforms of NCLB and a great deal of enthusiasm for his mentoring programs, and he also needs the college prep plan to work without fail. It is very unlikely that his plan will fully succeed. However, his plan does not pose a great threat if a drastic failure, and has a very large upside. Bush's plan, however, has resulted in a small but steady decline in learning. Therefore, the edge in this department goes to Kerry, if not for a solid plan, for a chance and a stoppage of negative policy. Though his program probably won't work all that well, it should provide small benefits at the minimum, without a drastic cost. Maybe he can follow through with other plans afterwards.
In education, the edge lies with John Kerry.