Presidential Candidates State their Positions on Education and Adult Literacy
(Posted October, 2000)

Shown below are statements on education and literacy from the major-party candidates, George W. Bush and Al Gore. These statements are re-printed from the Fall 2000 issue of The Reader, the newsletter of Literacy Volunteers of America.

We are also showing statements by candidates Ralph Nader (independent candidate) and John Hagelin (of the Natural Law Party). We took these statements from their web sites. (No statements were available at this time from Pat Buchanan or other minority-party candidates.)

We hope these statements will help adult learners and other supporters of adult education to understand what the candidates are saying about issues that are important to us. By being familiar with what the candidates are saying, we can make an informed choice. We might also refer to these statements when talking with other policy makers and candidates for other offices in the future.

Regardless of who wins the presidential election, we hope that the new president carries out what he proposes in his statement. VALUE representatives have played an active role in national-level adult literacy policy forums like the recent National Literacy Summit and the National Coalition for Literacy. VALUE members will be watching what the next administration does to support adult learners and adult education.

Note: The following statements are listed in alphabetical order by name of the candidate. VALUE is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse any candidate.

George W. Bush’s statement

Improving education has been my number one priority as Governor, both in focus and funding. As President, I will make education my number one domestic policy priority. And I will operate from a very simple premise: I believe all children can learn and no child should be left behind.

Success in school is strongly influenced by how much parents expose a child to language and reading before starting school. Children who have been read to for hundreds of hours are much more likely to start school ready to learn. Family literacy is an excellent way to increase vitally important parental involvement.

Family literacy programs work to break the parent-to-child cycle of illiteracy. Through intensive education of more than one generation, family literacy programs build on families’ strengths. Families come to school together. While their children learn in nearby classrooms, parents work on their own reading skills. And parents practice teaching their children under the guidance of professional teachers. Parents learn that the most important thing they can do to prepare their children for success in school is to read to them early and often.

In 1996, with the financial support of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy, Laura and I established the First Lady’s Family Literacy Initiative for Texas. The initiative is a grant program which awards seed money to Texas family literacy programs. Thus far, the initiative has granted almost $800,000 to 40 family literacy programs.

I strongly believe that families are the backbone of our society and as Governor of Texas, I have supported efforts that help families either through increasing child care funding for low-income families, transitional assistance from those families on welfare who find employment, and offering affordable children’s health insurance available statewide. Family Literacy programs are another powerful example how our nation can offer support to our families in today’s society.

Al Gore’s statement

Today, education is the key to success in life, starting with literacy skills — the ability to read, write, and solve problems. Yet 40% of adults lack the literacy skills needed to compete in today’s workforce, to raise a family, and to participate fully in their community. Everyone must be literate so families can succeed in the new economy and help children do well in school. Research has shown that the educational level of the parent is the best predictor of how well a child will do in school. We know that low literacy impacts the ability of adults and families to access and benefit from healthcare information. And limited literacy impacts a wide range of community and social concerns across the nation.

I believe we must work together to provide opportunities for every adult American to have access to high quality literacy services wherever they live. Not everyone masters the basic skills they need for life in the traditional K-12 educational system, so learning opportunities must never end. We all must play a role — families, educators, policymakers, businesses, civic organizations, and congregations. Anyone who knows someone who might be limited because of low basic skills should encourage them to enroll in adult literacy education services. The National Literacy Hotline at 1-800-228-8813 can help locate a program in any community.

We all share the responsibility for making adult and family literacy a national priority. As President, I will make adult and family literacy and lifelong learning a priority for increased support, and continue the budget increases that the administration has recommended for the past eight years. An educated America is a strong America.

John Hagelin’s statement

(Note: John Hagelin is the presidential candidate of the Natural Law Party and was formerly involved in the Reform Party. For a more complete statement of his education platform, go to his web site (www.natural-law.org). He does not talk about adult education as such. However, shown below are excerpts which are related to adult education.)

• Add computer support to the National Literacy Act of 1991, to provide research and help implement computer-aided instruction, including Internet instruction, in literacy programs.

• Establish community centers of knowledge where parents can receive the latest understanding of health and nutrition for their children.

• Create national apprenticeship programs by bringing together business, labor, and educational leaders to develop a system that offers training in valuable skills for students who are not college bound.

Ralph Nader’s statement

(Note: Ralph Nader is an independent candidate for president. His web site (www.votenader.org) contains his statements on "The Issues." Although his statements on education do not talk about adult literacy as such, he does talk about an issue of interest to VALUE: using education to prepare people to be active citizens. Here are some excerpts on that topic:)

• The government should encourage schools to infuse the curriculum with a citizenship emphasis that teaches students how to connect classroom learning to the outside world and how to fashion a deepening democracy.

• Modest appropriations for the development and enhancement of a civics for democracy program . . . could reinvigorate our schools, teachers and students with a sense of purpose and higher motivations.

• Learning citizenship skills should be a high priority in our schools because a civics curriculum combines basic skills education with students’ own experience. . . . Unfortunately, "good citizenship" is not accorded a serious status within the curriculum of most schools. As Ernest L. Boyer, former president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, observed, "Moral and civic education have almost disappeared. We’ve become increasingly preoccupied with the economic impact of education."

• Practicing civics, becoming a skilled citizen, using one’s skills to overcome apathy, ignorance, greed or abuse of power in society at all levels invites knowledge of civic history, understanding of civic rights and strategies and sharing in a growing civic culture of regular participation . . .

• (Students) will learn "reading, writing, and arithmetic" as a by-product of vigorous thought and retain what they learn, unlike with rote learning.

Revised 10/26/00