Tennessee 2006 Senate Debate: on Education

Bob Corker: Bonuses for high-performing teachers

FORD: Sen. Al Gore Senior worked with Pres. Eisenhower to build the Interstate highway system, which was enormously important to commerce. We need a similar approach with education. For us to win the international educational competition, we've got to ensure that you have the best opportunities. My opponent's party has made Pell Grants more expensive. My opponent's party funded the No-Child-Left-Behind Act at half its promised level. We should not penalize any school until NCLB is fully funded.

CORKER: Education is the key to our future. As mayor, I worked with teachers to put in place some unusual policies that helped them flourish. Here in Chattanooga, we put in place incentives--bonuses for high-performing teachers who caused the things that ought to happen. What we saw was that those schools outperformed the other schools. I want to take those abilities at education achievement to Washington.

Harold Ford: Education needs equivalent of Interstate highway system

FORD: Sen. Al Gore Senior worked with Pres. Eisenhower to build the Interstate highway system, which was enormously important to commerce. We need a similar approach with education. For us to win the international educational competition, we've got to ensure that you have the best opportunities. My opponent's party has made Pell Grants more expensive. My opponent's party funded the No-Child-Left-Behind Act at half its promised level. We should not penalize any school until NCLB is fully funded.

CORKER: Education is the key to our future. As mayor, I worked with teachers to put in place some unusual policies that helped them flourish. Here in Chattanooga, we put in place incentives--bonuses for high-performing teachers who caused the things that ought to happen. What we saw was that those schools outperformed the other schools. I want to take those abilities at education achievement to Washington.