Education may be pivotal in the 2020 election. Here’s what you need to know.
Highlights from the Brown Center Chalkboard in 2019
As 2019 winds down, all eyes will soon turn to the 2020 U.S. presidential election. The cycle promises to dominate the news throughout next year, covering everything from the ongoing impeachment proceedings to health-care reform and more. While education traditionally may not be considered a top-tier issue in national elections, as Brookings’s Doug Harris has previously noted, times have certainly changed.
Whether it’s the ongoing debate over free college, the unique politics surrounding charter schools, or the power of teacher strikes, education promises to play a vital role in determining the outcome of the Democratic primaries and the 2020 general election. To help readers understand these often-complex topics, we’ve collected relevant Chalkboard posts from the past year that discuss the big ideas in education that are likely to be prominent next year.
We’re looking ahead by looking back—with the goal of helping you make a make a more informed decision at the ballot box.
CHARTER SCHOOLS AND SCHOOL CHOICE
Charter schools have become one of the most divisive issues within the Democratic Party. Does that spell doom for them in America? Doug Harris broke down where each candidate stands on charters, writing that “the next 12 months will be very uncomfortable for charter supporters.” Despite this, he argues that charter schooling is likely to continue its steady expansion in the new decade.
The public opinion around charters is also nuanced. Support for charters among white Democrats is plummeting according to recent poll data, but many Black and Hispanic Democrats remain in favor. Brookings’s Jon Valant argued that the growing opposition to charters among white Democrats could have significant consequences for families of color.
A frequent question around charters is how they affect traditional public schools. Do charters weaken them via financial losses, or does the added competition spur traditional public schools to improve? Paul Hill dissected conflicting studies to find the answer.
EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION
Early childhood learning has also figured in the 2020 campaign so far. Reacting to Joe Biden’s “meandering response” on the word gap during a Democratic debate in September, Dana Suskind explained why the public discussion around the word gap needs to evolve: “All parents … must understand that a word is not simply a word; it is a building block for a child’s brain.”
Debate over the federal Head Start program continues into 2020 as well. In 2019, Congress authorized more than $10 billion on the program, and it CONTINUE READING: Education may be pivotal in the 2020 election. Here’s what you need to know.
