Candidates' positions are categorized as Pro (Yes), Con (No), Not Clearly Pro or Con, or None Found. Candidates who have changed their positions are listed as Now their most recent position. Candidates are listed by party and in alphabetical order by last name. Black & white photos indicate candidates who have withdrawn or who no longer meet our criteria for inclusion.
Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, stated the following in a Mar. 10, 2009 speech to the US Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, available at www.washingtonpost.com:
"If a teacher is given a chance or two chances or three chances but still does not improve, there's no excuse for that person to continue teaching. I reject a system that rewards failure and protects a person from its consequences." Mar. 10, 2009 Barack Obama
Mitt Romney, former Governor of Massachusetts, stated the following in his 2010 book No Apology:
“Removing the least effective teachers from the classroom is also an important way to improve overall teacher quality… If we truly want better public schools, we will have to insist on contract provisions that allow for removing the few teachers who should not be working with children…
Teachers’ unions do their very best to secure these insulations from performance for their members, and the results are lack of accountability, rising pay as a simple function of years on the job, and near-absolute job security. These have a deadening impact on student achievement.” 2010 Mitt Romney
Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the US House of Representatives (R-GA), wrote the following in his Oct. 27, 2011 article "Newt Gingrich Handout on Education for College Board Forum," available at Newt.org:
"The current ideologically driven, credentialed, bureaucratic, unionized, tenured system cannot be fixed... Tenure should be abolished. No bad teacher should be permitted to ruin a child’s future." Oct. 27, 2011 Newt Gingrich
ProCon.org emailed the Paul campaign for his position to this question on Jan. 31, 2012, and Feb. 7, 2012. We also left a follow up telephone message on Feb. 2, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Paul's position as of Feb. 9, 2012.
Buddy Roemer, former Governor of Louisiana, stated the following in his Oct. 9, 2011 campaign site posting "Talk to Buddy," available at www.buddyroemer.com:
"Teachers must be tested, tenure must be modified, excellence must be rewarded in significant pay and work conditions improvement, principals must lead, and teacher unions cannot run the schools. High school graduation is the single most important act in a student's life in terms of adding economic value and net worth. We now rank 11th among all nations in high school graduation rates (South Korea is first). Competition and choice are two powerful antidotes to flab and irrelevance. The students need excellent teachers, and competition and choice improve their chances. Just that simple." Oct. 9, 2011 Buddy Roemer
ProCon.org emailed the Santorum campaign for his position to this question on Jan. 31, 2012. We have not yet received a reply with Santorum's position as of Feb. 13, 2012.
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