The Core Knowledge Blog

Now that John McCain is the GOP nominee, he can count on all kinds of advice from the education commentariat. First up, Fordham’s Checker Finn and Michael J. Petrilli, who offer the Republican standard bearer some suggestions in the Weekly Standard. Noting that McCain “doesn’t consider education a top presidential priority” and has had little to say on the subject, they sugggest McCain integrate education within his larger platform, which promotes a strong, competitive America.

“Start by playing to your strengths, Senator, fitting education policy within three broad themes of your candidacy and worldview: keeping America confident in the face of Islamic terrorism, strengthening our ability to compete in a globalizing world economy, and fighting wasteful spending,” Finn and Petrilli offer. Give U.S. schoolkids a deep knowledge of U.S. history and America’s role as freedom’s champion. “That means not letting history and civics get squeezed out of the curriculum by NCLB’s obsession with reading and math scores,” they write.

Most intriguingly, Finn and Petrilli argue McCain should urge governors “to develop a set of common, rigorous expectations and assessments for all young Americans from Okeechobee to Walla Walla. And he could push Congress to rewrite NCLB so it focuses not just on academic stragglers but also on our savviest youngsters, too.”