Bernie Sanders in EduWatch 2015

On Education: Do away with fill-in-the-bubble standardized tests

• Standardized testing: "Promote creative learning by doing away with 'fill-in-the-bubble' standardized tests, and instead evaluate students based their understanding of the curriculum and their ability to use it creatively." (May 2015).
• Tests and accountability: "I think it is wrong to judge schools solely on the basis of narrow tests. We have to work on what kind of criteria we really need. A kid is more than a test. We want kids to be creative. We want kids to be critical thinkers. We also want schools held accountable for factors other than test scores, including how they meet the challenges of students from low-income families." (April 2015).
• Race to the Top : "It is unacceptable that nearly $5 billion of federal 'Race to the Top' funding has been distributed while Vermont and many other states have not received a penny." (June 2012).

On Education: Education begins before age 4 or 5

• Early childhood education: "We must do away with the archaic notion that education begins at four or five years old. For far too long, our society has undervalued the need for high-quality and widely accessible early childhood education." (February 2014).
• Teacher pay: "Something is very wrong when, last year, the top twenty-five hedge fund managers earned more than the combined income of 425,000 public school teachers. We have to get our priorities right." (February 2015).
• Education and upward mobility: "In the United States, all people who have the desire and the ability should be able, in this changing economy, to receive all the education they need regardless of their income. This must be done not only to rebuild the disappearing middle class but to make us competitive in the global economy." (February 2015).