McCain

• Support national standards for and testing of public school students.
• Allow parents to use vouchers (equal opportunity scholarships) to send their children to any public or private school.
• Allow teachers and professionals to receive authorization and funding to establish charter schools.
• Increase funding for block grants to states to aid in the hiring of additional teachers.
• Support teacher testing and reward teachers with merit pay.
• Increase funding for school capital improvements (e.g. buildings, infrastructure, technology).
• Increase funding of programs such as Pell grants and Stafford loans to help students pay for college.
• Support federal tax incentives to help families save for college.
• McCain has been pushing legislation through Congress that requires all schools and libraries receiving federal subsidies for Internet connectivity to utilize technology to restrict access to sexually explicit material by children
• Voted for the No Child Left Behind act and promotes educational reform.

Obama

• Increase state funds for professional development of public school teachers and administrators.
• Encourage private or corporate investment in public school programs.
• Favor charter schools where independent groups receive state authorization and funding to establish new schools.
• Increase state funds for school construction and facility maintenance.
• Fund public school education in Illinois by increasing certain state taxes and decreasing local property taxes.
• Provide state-funded tuition and fees to any Illinois student who attends a public college or university as long as they maintain a B average.
• Barack Obama has sponsored legislation in the Illinois Senate to establish grants for after-school programs. He believes in increasing federal support for after-school programs with proven records of success at helping children avoid crime and drugs.
• About the No Children Left Behind Act Obama says the overall goal “is the right one … but the law has significant flaws that need to be addressed.”
• Barack Obama and Joe Biden will double funding for the main federal support for afterschool programs
• Proposes investing $10 billion a year to increase the number of children eligible for Early Head Start, increase access to preschool, provide affordable and quality child care and increase coordination across federal, state and local levels.