Word: preschooling
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Dates: during 2000-2000
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...Franks for the New Jersey seat of retiring Democrat Frank Lautenberg. Though the biggest issue in the race was the amount of campaign spending (Republicans dubbed Corzine the "human ATM machine"), Corzine ran on one of the most liberal platforms in the nation, advocating such edgy programs as public preschool and universal health care. On the trail, Corzine spun the funding issue in his favor, noting he would not be beholden to campaign contributors. But for all the money spent, Corzine's winning margin was a slim...
...Gore abandon key campaign promises. Take his plan for a prescription-drug benefit under Medicare, an issue he would probably press early. Candidate Gore called for a universal entitlement; President Gore could never get that passed. As for campaign-finance reform, money for school construction, class-size reduction, universal preschool or tax-free retirement savings accounts, Republicans would gleefully stuff them all. Would Gore even try? "Everything would have to be rethought," the adviser says...
Asked early in the election which single program would distinguish him from any other candidate, Gore cited his $50 billion "universal preschool" proposal, which would extend the Georgia model to the nation. It's the single costliest--and boldest--piece of his education agenda. Gore would also pump an extra $10 billion over 10 years into Head Start, the existing federal preschool program for poor children, which would continue to provide them with both educational enrichment and social services like meals and health care...
Many industrial nations have long funded preschool for all--and with great results. The early returns on Georgia's five-year-old program are promising, with the first beneficiaries, now third-graders, outpacing their peers in math and reading. And Gore says his proposal would provide financial relief across the board, especially to middle-income families. But the program could be costly to taxpayers. Experts say Gore's "universal" measure could funnel money to some parents who don't need it. And to make the program viable, states must ante up matching funds. Though 42 states now bankroll some form...
...contrast, Bush's proposals for early childhood are aimed at the kids who, studies show, benefit most from preschool: the poor. Citing mixed reviews of Head Start, he would shift the program's address from the Health and Human Services Department to the Education Department and emphasize educational pursuits like word recognition and counting over social services. The cost of this change? Zero. Bush saves his dollars for his $5 billion reading initiative, which does not kick in until kids reach kindergarten...