More headlines: Al Gore on School Choice

(Following are older quotations. Click here for main quotations.)

Make commitment to public schools, not vouchers

Improving education is one of the greatest challenges our next President will face. It is also one of the major differences between me and my opponent, George W. Bush. Governor Bush says he cares about education and wants to improve our schools. But he has a bad plan. We need to invest more and demand more - not aim too low, invest too little, and drain resources away from public schools with private school vouchers. Source: Speech to National Conference of Black Mayors, Dallas TX Apr 28, 2000

Revolution in public schools, but his kids in private school

Q: You always have opposed vouchers. However, the only child you still have at home is a junior at a private school. Is there not a public or charter school in DC good enough for your child? And if not, why should the parents here have to keep their kids in public schools because they don’t have the financial resources that you do? A: You can leave my children out of this if you want to, but all of my children have gone to both public schools and private schools. The reason I have opposed vouchers is because I think they represent a big and historic mistake by draining money away from public schools at a time when we need to lift up the public schools. I think that what we need instead is to bring revolutionary improvements to our public schools, not gradual improvement. And we need to start by treating our teachers like the professionals that they are and rewarding them adequately and raising standards and I’ve proposed a 50% increase in the federal share of investment in public education. Source: Democrat debate in Harlem, NYC Feb 21, 2000

More public school choice - but not private

Parents should have more choice in their children’s public schools - especially those whose children are stuck in low-performing schools. We need more public school choice, and more competition - to apply the pressure that will improve all schools. And of course we must reject the false promise of siphoning public school funding away to private schools. That would only make things much worse. Source: Commencement address: Graceland College, Iowa May 16, 1999

Vouchers drain cash from public school reforms.

Diverting tax dollars from public schools to support tuition for some children at private schools would drain the funds we need [for] an ambitious program of... reform that would allow us to have world-class schools in the 21st century. Source: Time Magazine 4/26/99 p. 36 Apr 26, 1999

Click here for 18 main quotations from Al Gore on School Choice. Click here for definitions & background information on School Choice. Click here for policy papers on School Choice. Click here for a profile of Al Gore. Click here for VoteMatch responses by Al Gore. Agree? Disagree? Voice your opinions on School Choice or about Al Gore in The Forum.
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