Live-blogging the Democratic-Des Moines Register debate
Education
Edwards: Create a National Teaching University, modeled on the military academies. Graduates would be assigned to needy districts. Your blogstress likes this idea quite a lot.
Richardson: Pre-K for everybody. Scrap No Child Left Behind. Minimum salary for teachers: $40,000. Teach art in schools.
Moderator just asked Richardson to comment on the state of education in New Mexico, Richardson said it's been tough to raise test scores in NM because of unique population demographics -- more than 40 percent hispanic and 11 percent Native American -- but that they're going up.
Obama: Early childhood education critical. Sacrifices from the American people: Get parents "re-engaged in instilling in their children a sense of excellence."
Dodd: Parents are the first teachers. My sister just retired from teaching 42 years in the inner city of Hartford. (Read: I know what I'm talking about.)
Clinton: Bring classrooms into the 21st century; they look too much as they did when she was in school. No unfunded mandates.
Edwards: Allow workforce to stay well-educated. Your cybertrix presumes he means life-long learning.
Biden: My wife's a teacher. (Read: I know what I'm talking about.)
