Ed Money Watch

In light of the Vice Presidential debate tonight we put together a short primer on where both of the VP picks stand on education. Needless to say, this is not an exhaustive or official list of either candidate's stance. Rather, we have attempted to trace both of their activities on education before they were potential VPs to paint a fuller picture.

Both candidates have been talking about "choice" as it pertains to education. It's a popular idea these days, especially as parents are demanding better educational opportunities for their children. But a recent article by the American Enterprise Institute's Rick Hess suggests that choice alone isn't enough to improve the quality of public education.

Districts across the nation are in need of highly qualified teachers, particularly in math, science and special education. Given that the estimated cost of current teacher attrition is around $2 billion annually, maintaining and growing the teaching force may be one of the greatest, and most expensive, challenges in education for the next administration.

It's no mystery that America's failing high schools have a direct impact on the economy. A recent study released by the Alliance for Excellent Education attempts to place a price tag on the "dropout crisis" and the results are stunning.