It seemed to me as mentioned in an earlier post that the candidates appearances before the delegates to the NAACP would offer critical insights for educators and the public on how each views public education. If you care at all about the future of public education and you have a little time both speeches are worth viewing. I read the press interpretations as well as the blogosphere reaction and found it far more insightful to see the entire speech.

Senator Obama appeared first early in the week. Not surprisingly he was well-received since he enjoys almost monolithic support among African-American voters. He sees equal educational opportunity as a significant piece of the challenge, but also showed a deep understanding of the need to deal with economic opportunity, housing and poverty. In spite of the recent flap over Jesse Jackson’s sub rosa remarks left week, he confronted head on the issues of personal and parental responsibility.

Senator McCain dedicated nearly 2/3 of his time to education. He scored deserved points for simply showing up unlike President Bush who took six years before accepting an invitation to speak. McCain has yet to offer a comprehensive plan for the future of either NCLB or public education although he promised it would be available soon. The bits that he offered in his speech are all about reshuffling existing monies to increase choice , privatization, DC vouchers, charter schools and virtual schools. Call me biased (and you would be right), but I heard nothing new. If you take the time to watch them both, I’d love to hear your interpretation.

Senator Obama Addresses NAACP

Senator McCain Addresses NAACP