At the Republican National Convention in St. Paul this week, President Bush was expected to anoint Sen. John McCain as his successor and the new leader of the party.
But it remains far from clear whether Sen. McCain鈥攁nd other top Republicans鈥攚ill continue to embrace the federal mandates on school accountability at the center of the No Child Left Behind Act, Mr. Bush鈥檚 signature domestic-policy initiative, or whether the GOP will return to its role as a champion of limited government and local control of schools.
鈥淭he biggest challenge within the Republican Party is really how much of a role should Washington continue to play,鈥� said Eugene W. Hickok, who served as deputy secretary in the U.S. Department of Education earlier in President Bush鈥檚 tenure.
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Sen. McCain outlined his education priorities in a speech to the NAACP in July, but as of last week he had not put forth a proposal explaining how he would revamp the No Child Left Behind law. Late last week, he tapped as his running mate Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska, who brings to the ticket at least some experience with education issues.
Mr. Hickok, who is informally advising the McCain campaign, said he suspects that the Arizona Republican and his policy aides haven鈥檛 discussed the specifics of the NCLB law on the campaign trail in part because of its unpopularity, both within the party and with much of the public.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a somewhat politically difficult thing to talk about,鈥� Mr. Hickok said. He said Sen. McCain does not want to walk away from the law completely but cannot embrace it wholeheartedly because it has become 鈥渁 damaged brand.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 an awkward dance one has to go through,鈥� Mr. Hickok said.
The law had been scheduled for reauthorization in 2007, but isn鈥檛 likely to be renewed until after a new president takes office.
The No Child Left Behind Act, which was passed in late 2001 with broad, bipartisan support, holds schools responsible for making progress toward academic proficiency for all students, as measured by state tests.
Hoekstra Bill
Republican leaders were important champions of the NCLB law in Congress. Among its architects was Rep. John A. Boehner of Ohio, now the House minority leader, who was the chairman of the House education committee when the measure was crafted.
But the GOP most typically has viewed education strictly as a state and local matter. And while some Republicans favor the strong federal presence in education that NCLB exemplifies, others in the party reject such a role as violating federalism principles.
Last March, the local-control contingent of the Republican caucus in Congress reasserted itself.
Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, introduced a bill that would permit states to craft their own accountability systems. Sixty-six House Republicans, including several members of the House education panel, are co-sponsors of the bill.
Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., introduced a similar bill in the Senate, which has seven co-sponsors.
Sen. McCain, who voted for the NCLB law seven years ago but hasn鈥檛 been closely identified with education issues during his quarter-century-long congressional career, hasn鈥檛 become a co-sponsor of Sen. DeMint鈥檚 legislation.
On the campaign trail, Sen. McCain has essentially said that he wants to 鈥渟trengthen the good parts鈥� of the law, a stance that is 鈥減leasantly ambiguous,鈥� said Frederick M. Hess, the director of education policy studies at the American Enterprise Institute, a free-market-oriented think tank.
鈥楲eeway鈥� Preserved
By indicating that he generally supports the NCLB law but not getting into specifics, he鈥檚 鈥渞eassuring the various components of the party that he鈥檚 sympathetic to their agenda without planting any flags,鈥� Mr. Hess said.
鈥淚f he were to win, he鈥檇 have a lot of leeway in terms of what direction he wanted to move in,鈥� Mr. Hess added.
Mr. Hickok and Jeanne Allen, the president of the Center for Education Reform, a nonpartisan organization that advocates expanded school choice, said they believe Sen. McCain does not fit neatly into either contingent of the party on education issues.
The senator 鈥渉as his own camp,鈥� Ms. Allen said. He appears to support a 鈥渃ontinued connection between federal funds and accountability,鈥� but seems likely to give more latitude to states and school districts than the Bush administration has, she said.
Sen. McCain 鈥渉as a lighter touch in terms of Washington carrot and stick鈥� than Bush administration officials do, Ms. Allen said.
Sen. McCain鈥檚 education agenda focuses on bolstering alternative-certification programs for teachers, giving principals more control over school budgets, and encouraging districts to explore alternative-pay programs for teachers.
His running mate brings more executive experience with education programs.
Gov. Palin, elected in 2006, helped champion an overhaul of the state鈥檚 school finance system, which supporters said channeled more money to rural districts outside Anchorage and helped stabilize school districts鈥� budgets. The measure, approved by the Alaska legislature this year, also hiked spending for students with special needs.
Ms. Palin has also become known for juggling her duties as Alaska鈥檚 chief executive with those of a parent. In April, she gave birth to a son, Trig Paxson Van Palin, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome. She and her husband, Todd, have four other children.
鈥淢y mom and dad both worked at the local elementary school,鈥� Gov. Palin said last Friday. 鈥淚 got involved in the pta and then was elected to the city council. My agenda was to stop wasteful spending and cut property taxes.鈥�
She also served as mayor of Wasilla, Alaska.
The Republican convention comes just a few weeks after a poll by Phi Delta Kappa International and the Gallup Organization found that Americans believe that the Democrats are more likely than the Republicans to improve schools. (鈥淪urvey Gives Obama Edge on Education,鈥� Aug. 27, 2008.)
During the 2000 and 2004 elections, the same polls showed President Bush running roughly evenly with his Democratic opponents on school issues.
鈥淣o Child Left Behind gave [President Bush] an edge for a bit, but that is no longer working to the Republican advantage,鈥� said Paul E. Peterson, the director of the program on education policy and governance at Harvard University鈥檚 Kennedy School of Government. 鈥淚 think the Republican Party has to come up with some new approaches if they鈥檙e going to become the dominant party on education policy again.鈥�
No Need to Defend
President Bush鈥檚 departure will almost certainly open the door for some Republicans who voted for the No Child Left Behind Act to return to their roots and push for leaving school policy authority firmly in state and local hands.
鈥淵ou will see more Republicans come out against some of the core tenets of NCLB,鈥� said Michael J. Petrilli, a vice president at the Washington-based Thomas B. Fordham Institute, who was an Education Department official during Mr. Bush鈥檚 first term. 鈥淭he Republicans, in particular on [Capitol] Hill, will no longer feel beholden to defend the Bush administration.鈥�
The No Child Left Behind law and education issues generally appear likely to take a back seat at the Republican convention this week. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings, one of the key architects of the law as a domestic-policy adviser in the Bush White House in 2001, had not been scheduled to address the convention as of late last week.
By contrast, at the party鈥檚 2000 convention in Philadelphia, Ms. Spellings, a campaign aide to then-Texas Gov. Bush, spoke to each state鈥檚 delegation about the candidate鈥檚 plans for improving schools.
鈥淚 suspect the entire convention will go by without anyone mentioning NCLB,鈥� Mr. Petrilli said. 鈥淚f you do hear the words 鈥楴o Child Left Behind,鈥� they will come from the mouth of President Bush.鈥�
