Mike Huckabee announced his candidacy for president yesterday, becoming the eighth hopeful to do so and the third Republican in two days. The Republican primary is now a six-person race, compared to the Democrats’ two. And Huckabee is the subject of the seventh installment of the Eduwatch 2016 series chronicling candidates’ stances on today’s biggest education issues.
The forty-fourth governor of Arkansas is very familiar with both politics and presidential campaigns. He started his political career in 1993 as the lieutenant governor of Arkansas. He leveled up to governor in 1996, a gig he held until 2007. Dreaming even bigger, he ran for president in 2008. He considered running in 2012, but ultimately didn’t. And here he is in 2016, back in the mix. His long career has brought many opinions on education, some of which have changed significantly. Here are ten:
1. Common Core (2015): “I also oppose Common Core....We must kill Common Core and restore common sense.” May 2015.
2. Common Core (2013): “These standards, known as Common Core State Standards, have been near and dear to my heart since I served as governor of Arkansas. And it’s disturbing to me that there have been criticisms of these standards directed by other conservatives, including the RNC. The truth of the matter is, these criticisms are short-sighted. Like many of you, I’ve heard the argument these standards “threaten local control” of what’s being taught in Oklahoma classrooms. Speaking from one conservative to another, let me assure you this simply is not true. States and local school districts will determine how they want to teach kids, what curriculum to use, and which textbooks to use.” June 2013.
3. Common standards: “I don't know of any student who would be benefitted by having a standard of math in Oregon that is substantially different in the fourth grade than one in Georgia, because if that student moves from one state to the other, he or she should know that the expectations of what they're going to experience academically in one state is comparable to the other....I want those kids to be able—no matter where they go to college, no matter where they get moved to by their families—that if they're making As in one state, they're going to make As in the other state. They're not going to be so far ahead that they're bored, so far behind that they give up and quit because they can't catch up.” August 2014.
4. The U.S. Department of Education: “We should abolish the federal Department of Education.” May 2015.
5. School choice: “School choice has been proven to work well wherever it’s been implemented. We’ve got nothing to fear from allowing parents to have a choice. Good schools have nothing to fear, and poor schools will have a chance to improve, and children will get the education that’s best for them.” November 2014.
6. Parents’ role in education: “I am steadfast in my belief that parents—parents—should ultimately decide the best venue for their children’s education, whether it’s public schools, private schools, religious schools, or home schools.” December 2013.
7. State versus federal control: “I believe education is a local or state function, not a federal one.” December 2013.
8. Student data: “I oppose the collection of personal data on students that would identify them and then track them, and certainly any effort to give that personal information to the federal government.” December 2013.
9. Educational equality: “America is a better country when all of its children are well educated. When every student in this country has equal access to an excellent education. Where there is no such thing as a student who is required or somehow destined to go to an underperforming school. That should never be accepted or tolerated in this country. And it doesn't matter whether a student's skin is black, brown, red, or white.” August 2014.
10. The cost of college: “The rising cost of college also threatens middle class families, students, and the American dream. For too many, college is where students discover mountains of debt—but not a lifelong career. We must tackle the establishment and reform our colleges and universities so they make sense for the jobs of tomorrow.” May 2015.
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That’s it for Mike Huckabee. Next up is Rand Paul, followed by big names that haven’t officially declared, such as Jeb Bush and Scott Walker. Until then.
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Read what Hillary Clinton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Bernie Sanders, Ben Carson, Carly Fiorina, Rand Paul, Jeb Bush, Rick Santorum, and George Pataki have said about education.
