School vouchers, class-size reductions, special education programs and the No Child Left Behind Act are the main topics of political debate in education reform. The House and Senate will have to battle with all these initiatives now that the Republicans have control over both houses of Congress after their victory in the Nov. 5 midterm election. Although new bills will come up and old ones will be revised, many say they feel that as a whole, education initiatives will not drastically change. Only Minor Changes
"I think the only real change is that there will be some element of voucher reform because (President) Bush already passed his No Child Left Behind Act. I don't think (education) is necessarily going to change that much," Brandeis Democrats Club President Molly Parke '04 said.

Others say they believe education reform will take place in other realms. "One of the ways the elections is going to make a difference is with judicial appointments. Democrats had refused to process President Bush's judicial nominations. Judicial decisions can have an extreme impact," Director of Brandeis' Education Program Dr. Marya Levenson said.

"About the only real effect of the Republican victory is control of the Senate, which will not result in major changes in education policy but will lead to Senate approval of (President) Bush appointments to the Education Department," Professor Peter Woll (POL) said.

But, Woll did assert that Congress might rewrite the Higher Education Act. He said, "a Republican will now chair the Senate, Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which may rewrite the Higher Education Act."

Some say they doubt the progress of education reform because of the tendency of politicians to make false promises. "We need champions of public education in the state house and congress more than ever . The list of unfunded and under-funded mandates grows each year," Assistant Superintendent of Waltham Public Schools Emile Rosenberg said. "We need less jargon, less political meddling, and less pontification by political leaders." she added.

Class-size reduction referendum fails
Class-size reduction was one of the measures supported by voters in Florida during the midterm election. Their Governor, Republican Jeb Bush, however, voted against it, saying he felt it would boost taxes, according to a recent New York Times article.

"Class-size reduction is being used as a buzz word, because it is something that is easily illustrated to the public; however, it is not always the largest problem in a community," Brandeis College Republicans Chair Adrienne Camire '04 said.

"Voters in Florida just approved a proposition mandating smaller class size in Florida, just as California voters had approved a similar proposition several years ago," Levenson said, adding, "In Florida, however, no provision was made for funding the smaller classes. It is interesting that Florida voters supported both the small class proposition as well as Governor Jeb Bush who opposed the proposition because of its costs."

"I think class-size reduction is always a good thing . obviously it didn't hurt (Governor Bush) as a politician. I believe in voters and I believe they can decide what they can stand up for," Parke said.

But Camire said she felt the politicians in Florida should focus on other reforms in education. "Other issues such as unqualified teachers, bilingual education and a lack of specialized programs could be of more concern in Florida and therefore in need of more funding."

Standardized Testing
Standardized testing is another measure in the realm of education which elicits political debate and is commonly supported by Republicans. "I think there's a serious movement towards testing everyone all the time in education in this country, and I think it's to the detriment of the education of the children in America because teachers become so focused on children passing the test," Parke said. Parke added that the victim of test-centered edification is creativity, on the part of both teacher and student.

Camire said she also agreed that standardized testing is over-emphasized. "Overall, I feel standardized testing is a high pressure method that doesn't always reflect the institution of individuals correctly. However, given the immense number of programs that must be tracked, I don't see a better solution," Camire said."There needs to be some efficient method to gauge performance for both the government and the parents. To say that this chosen method is only used by Republicans is seriously misguided, given it is used in every facet of life, including the admission of the students to Brandeis."

School vouchers
Republicans are also currently battling for school vouchers. "Last spring, the Supreme Court decided by a 5 to 4 vote that the Ohio Voucher Plan is constitutional, even though 98 percent of the Ohio students using vouchers attend parochial schools. Now it will be interesting to see whether there will be state referendums supporting vouchers," Levenson said. "Such a referendum was soundly defeated in California. Republicans as well as other supporters of vouchers, are planning to challenge some state laws that prohibit using state funds to support religious schools."

Camire said vouchers will be a good choice for schools to use. "Vouchers will allow parents more choice and the right to help give their child education that suits them best. Although most parents would prefer a public school system that can meet their child's needs, this is not the case in every instance."
Parke said she agrees."I think anything that helps children who need special education environments is a good thing. When public schools work right, they usually do a better job with special education than private schools," Parke said.

"In order to deliver a good education to children, we cannot allow them to suffer because of a failing system. Until the public school system can be up to par and operate on equal ground in each community children should not suffer from their flaws. Bush's programs to reintroduce vouchers gives public schools more than a fair chance to. If anything, they should be seen as an incentive for schools to improve the quality of education they deliver," Camire said.

Potential war with Iraq dominates
Perhaps one of the reasons why education reform might not be at the top of the list for Congress is because the House and Senate are focusing more on the potential war with Iraq. "The combination of allocating money to a potential war with Iraq, the tax cuts that are in place, new tax cuts and the growing deficit will be cited as reasons that more funding can't be given to education and domestic programs," Levenson said.

Parke also said that education might not be a priority for Bush anymore after already having passed the No Child Left Behind Act. "He has no reason to make education a priority anymore. He can say 'I passed my bill and it's up to you to abide by it now.' . I think it's viewed as a priority for Bush by reinforcing the already existing bill," Parke said, "He has been vocal in making sure that everyone abides by the provision of the bill. I think education is a priority for him, but not as much as it could be. Especially in the vision of Iraq."

Camire, however, said she feels Bush's priority for education is not deterred in the midst of a potential war. "In no way do I feel the war with Iraq negates President Bush's concern for the education of America's youth, but it clearly needs to be a priority if the children are to live in a country where they are safe to receive the best education possible."

Rosenberg said she agrees that even though Congress is paying more attention to the war, public education reform should still be a top priority. "Public education represents the vital bedrock of our country. From its inception, our schools have served as a great equalizer," she said, adding, "Regardless of a student's race, religion or background they are entitled to a free public education. Children can aspire to reach their full potential and we can remain a vital, self-replicating democracy, thanks to public education.