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Flypaper

The education issue: Not dead yet

Michael J. Petrilli
5.27.2008

Or so reports Politico in an article that has Ed in ???08's fingerprints all over it:

Although it takes a back seat in campaign coverage compared with the economy and the Iraq war, education remains a high priority for many American voters. An April 21 CBS News/MTV poll of young voters found that education was their third most popular concern, behind only the economy and Iraq and ahead of health care, terrorism and the environment.

A Pew poll in January also found that more Americans chose education than terrorism as the most important problem facing the nation.

While the presidential candidates emphasize their commitment to improving America's education system, the issue has received scant attention from the media. Less than 1 percent of the questions in presidential primary debates were devoted to education, according to a forthcoming study whose results were provided to Politico on a confidential basis.

Tags: Iraq

President, Thomas B. Fordham Institute

Michael J. PetrilliĀ is president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, executive editor of Education Next, editor in chief of the Education Gadfly Weekly, host of the…

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