2020 presidential candidates on education

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Presidential election
Donald Trump

Joe Biden

Howie Hawkins

Jo Jorgensen

This page includes statements from the 2020 presidential candidates on education. These statements were compiled from each candidate's official campaign website, editorials, speeches, and interviews. Click the following links for policy statements about related issues: student loan debt and charter schools and voucher programs.

The candidates featured on this page are the 2020 presidential nominees from the Democratic, Republican, Libertarian, and Green parties.

Donald Trump
Joe Biden

Howie Hawkins
Jo Jorgensen

Education

Republican candidates

Donald Trump

Donald Trump's campaign website says, "President Trump’s proposed budgets have made school choice a priority. The Trump Administration successfully implemented the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) to empower states with the flexibility they need to educate their students. The Trump Administration implemented the year-round distribution of Pell grants, instead of limiting these grants to the spring and fall semesters. The Trump Administration brought in financial experts to modernize the way FSA offers and services student loans." ^[source]

Democratic candidates

Joe Biden

Joe Biden's campaign website lists the following five education goals: "Support our educators by giving them the pay and dignity they deserve. Invest in resources for our schools so students grow into physically and emotionally healthy adults, and educators can focus on teaching. Ensure that no child’s future is determined by their zip code, parents’ income, race, or disability. Provide every middle and high school student a path to a successful career. Start investing in our children at birth."

Biden's website continues: "Invest in our schools to eliminate the funding gap between white and non-white districts, and rich and poor districts. Improve teacher diversity. Make sure children with disabilities have the support to succeed. Create more opportunities for high school students to take practical classes that lead to credentials." ^[source]

Green candidates

Howie Hawkins

Howie Hawkins' campaign website says, "First, educational policy should be made primarily by teachers and parents through locally elected school boards. Mayoral and state control of schools have become a way of closing public schools and imposing educational policies, especially charter school privatization, from the top down. Local parents and teachers have more interest in good local schools than top-down administrators."

His website continues, "Second, we must end high-stakes testing, which has reduced education to teaching to the test. It punishes students, teachers, and schools in high-poverty school districts simply for being poor. The punishment is often school closures or privatization into charters. High-stakes testing is the front edge of the charter school privatization agenda. High-stakes testing takes away from the many other qualities that should be developed by an education, including intellectual self-confidence, creativity, critical thinking, problem solving, teamwork, and tolerance." ^[source]

Libertarian candidates

Jo Jorgensen

Jo Jorgensen's campaign website says, "The Department of Education has failed. In the forty years since the Department of Education was created, government spending on education has skyrocketed, while the quality of education has declined. Students used to be able to work their way through college and graduate debt-free. As President, I will work to eliminate the Department of Education and return control of education to where it belongs – with parents, teachers, and students.” ^[source]

Withdrawn candidates

Michael Bloomberg

Mike Bloomberg's campaign website says, "As mayor of New York City, Mike took over a failing and dysfunctional school system and turned it into a national model of reform. He strengthened standards and created more quality school options. Today, Mike leads national efforts to increase the number of lower-income students enrolled in top colleges. As president, Mike will make it a top national priority to increase student achievement, college preparedness, and career readiness."

His website continues, "Mike’s reform policies led to a 42% increase in graduation rates in New York City public schools, with African-American and Hispanic students making the biggest gains. Mike doubled the education budget and gave a 43% raise to teachers, because he believes in paying teachers well and recruiting and retaining the best. Mike’s national College Point program has connected 66,000 high-achieving, lower-income high school students to free college counseling. Mike created 126,000 additional classroom seats and opened 654 new schools. When Mike started as mayor, none of the top 25 elementary or middle schools in the state were in New York City. When he finished, 22 of the top 25 schools in the state were in New York City." ^[source]

Cory Booker

Cory Booker's campaign website says, "Access to a high-quality public education should not depend on a child’s zip code. Teachers across the country are overworked, underpaid, and under-supported at a time when they are going above and beyond for our students. They deserve better. We must pay teachers more, stop Republican attacks on public education, and invest in our schools. As president, Cory will massively expand support for public schools and our public school teachers. Today, student loans are the fastest growing segment of US household debt, and too many young people see college as out of reach. As president, Cory will fight for every young person’s right to pursue their dreams — whether that’s pursuing higher education without crushing student loan debt, starting a small business or getting on the job skills training through an apprenticeship program or vocational training schools."

The website lists Booker's education-related priorities, including: "Guarantee universal early childhood education. Strengthen our public schools by putting additional resources into underperforming school districts. Fully fund special education. Establish a path to debt-free college, because choosing to pursue higher education should not mean a lifetime of debt. Make tuition-free community college and vocational training a reality across the country. Reform and simplify how students apply for federal financial aid." ^[source]

Pete Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg's campaign website says, "Freedom means empowering our children by investing in equitable public education and our nation's teachers. Today, too many children are being denied educational justice. From inadequate resources and critical teacher shortages to discriminatory disciplinary policies, students of color in particular are far too often not afforded the same educational opportunities as their white peers. And when the intellectual lives of students of color are diminished, America loses. The Schools of the Future Plan is our commitment to provide the resources needed to ensure every child gains access to the skills they need to meet the economy of the future. We will invest in an equitable public education system by massively increasing federal resources for students at Title I schools, issuing new regulations to diversify the teaching profession, and investing in high-quality state and local educational programs."

His campaign website lists the following key policies: "We will invest in an equitable public education system by massively increasing federal resources for students at Title I schools. We will issue new regulations to diversify the teaching profession. We will invest in high-quality state and local educational programs. We will invest in college students’ futures by making public college tuition free for lower-income students and ensuring the lowest-income students can cover living costs without taking on student debt through increased investments in the Pell Grant program. We will increase dedicated resources by $25 billion for Historically Black Colleges and Universities and other Minority-Serving Institutions, which have played an extraordinary role in educating Black students, developing remarkable leaders, and helping build a burgeoning Black middle class." ^[source]

Julián Castro

Julián Castro says, "Education is at the core of the American Dream. It is the foundation by which we fulfill our collective promise to every student that if they work hard, they have a shot at reaching their dreams. Quality education powers economic mobility, helps to alleviate poverty, and ensures that opportunity is available to every student. However, our government has failed to live up to its end of the bargain."

Some of the policies listed on Castro's campaign website include: "Create a universal, high-quality, publicly-funded, full-day Pre-K for USA Program for 3 and 4-year-olds. Support sustained training and education for pre-K teachers. Close the modernization gap of our nation's schools. Make a $150 billion dollar investment in school facilities, technology infrastructure, and organizational support across the pre-K through 12th grade system. Support investment in music, arts, and foreign language programs. Eliminate tuition at public colleges, universities, community colleges, and technical and vocational schools. Alleviate burdens of existing student loan debt, ensuring no student pays more than their income allows. Bridge the teacher pay gap with a federal tax credit that boosts pay by up to $10,000 per year. End the school-to-prison pipeline and reform student discipline practices." ^[source]

Tulsi Gabbard

Tulsi Gabbard's campaign website says, "We need to make sure we are investing in the future of all of our children. In order to invest in our future, we have to provide adequate resources and meaningful accountability to ensure that all our students have equal access to quality education. The cost of tuition keeps too many people from pursuing a college education. We need to resolve student debt and guarantee college for all. From Trump University to Betsy DeVos, members of this administration have put a higher premium on personal enrichment than they have on improving our education." ^[source]

Kamala D. Harris

Kamala Harris' campaign website says, "The teacher pay gap is a national failure that demands a bold, national response. Kamala will make the largest federal investment in teacher pay in U.S. history to fully close the teacher pay gap during her first term. Her plan will provide the average public school teacher a $13,500 raise."

Her website continues, "Paying teachers for the full value of their work isn’t just a good strategy to improve education: it’s central to building an economy that works for working people. Research shows that attracting and retaining more great teachers improves student performance, increases graduation rates, and leads to higher future earnings for our kids. When President Lyndon B. Johnson made a major investment in education in 1965, he told the country that it was to “bridge the gap between helplessness and hope.” Fifty-four years later, this gap remains — but Kamala is determined to keep building that bridge as president." ^[source]

Amy Klobuchar

Amy Klobuchar's campaign website says, "We also need to make sure all our children can get a great education. That means increasing teacher pay and funding for our public schools, with a focus on investment in areas that need it the most. And we need to make sure the rising costs of college aren’t a barrier to opportunity. Amy supports allowing borrowers to refinance student loans at lower rates, loan forgiveness for in-demand occupations, expanded Pell grants, and tuition-free one- and two-year community college degrees and technical certifications."

Klobuchar's campaign published a plan for her first 100 days in office which says she will, "Protect student borrowers. Propose a historic investment in public education.", "Reduce racial disparities in disciplining students.", "Remove barriers to education for homeless and foster youth.", "Restore staffing levels at the Office of Civil Rights and the Office of Federal Student Aid.", "Protect students from discrimination and violence.", and "Invest in adult basic education." ^[source]

Beto O'Rourke

Beto O'Rourke's campaign website summarizes his education plan in the following way: "ensuring access to preschool for all; creating a permanent fund for equity and excellence to ensure families have access to high-quality public schools, regardless of where they live, their race, or how much money they have; increasing teacher pay, supporting diversity in the teaching profession; closing the achievement gap: ending the schoolhouse to jailhouse pipeline; and making sure every American can pursue higher-education without drowning in debt."

Some of the policies listed on O'Rourke's website include: "Achieve a system of universal pre-K. Invest in home-visiting programs. Ensure access to affordable, high quality childcare by increasing funding for the Child Care Development Block Grant and expanding the Child Care Tax Credit, making it refundable. Support increased wages for those working in early childhood education and care and provide loan forgiveness for early childhood educators. Immediately forgive outstanding student loan debt for public educators tax-free. Appoint a Secretary of Education who has a background in public education. Develop a $500 billion Permanent Fund for Equity and Excellence in Education with the goal of closing funding gaps based on race and income. Issuing a federal ban on the use of corporal punishment in schools, which is disproportionately used on black students and students with disabilities." Under the heading "College ^[source]

Bernie Sanders

Bernie Sanders supports increasing funding for public education and opposes for-profit charter schools.

Sanders' campaign website proposes the following: "We must make sure that charter schools are accountable, transparent and truly serve the needs of disadvantaged children, not Wall Street, billionaire investors, and other private interests. We must ensure that a handful of billionaires don’t determine education policy for our nation’s children. We will oppose the DeVos-style privatization of our nation’s schools and will not allow public resources to be drained from public schools. We must guarantee childcare and universal pre-Kindergarten for every child in America to help level the playing field, create new and good jobs, and enable parents more easily balance the demands of work and home. We must increase pay for public school teachers so that their salary is commensurate with their importance to society. And we must invest in high-quality, ongoing professional development, and cancel teachers’ student debt. We must protect the tenure system for public school teachers and combat attacks on collective bargaining by corporate profiteers. We must put an end to high-stakes testing and 'teaching to the test' so that our students have a more fulfilling educational life and our teachers are afforded professional respect. We must guarantee children with disabilities an equal right to high-quality education, and increase funding for programs that combat racial segregation and unfair disciplinary practices that disproportionately affect students of color." ^[source]

Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford's campaign website says, "There are only two ways to raise individual productivity and the wages that come with added levels of production – in investment that leverages our ability and through education that enhances our abilities. Education is key, and to compete effectively in the 21st Century its vital everyone of us recognize how lifelong learning is important. It must start early, and it's never finished. In this I believe in as many choices as possible that reflect the different ways we learn." ^[source]

Tom Steyer

Tom Steyer's campaign website says, "Without guaranteed access to a good education, there’s no such thing as equal opportunity. Our government must protect the right to a free, quality, public education from preschool through college and on to skills training." ^[source]

Joe Walsh

Joe Walsh's campaign website does not include a statement outlining his position on education. ^[source]

Elizabeth Warren

In a plan published online, Elizabeth Warren called for canceling student loan debt for most college graduates, eliminating all tuition costs at public two- and four-year schools, and providing additional funding to historically-black institutions of higher education.

Warren summarized her plan as follows: "My plan for broad student debt cancellation will: Cancel debt for more than 95% of the nearly 45 million Americans with student loan debt; Wipe out student loan debt entirely for more than 75% of the Americans with that debt; Substantially increase wealth for Black and Latinx families and reduce both the Black-White and Latinx-White wealth gaps; and Provide an enormous middle-class stimulus that will boost economic growth, increase home purchases, and fuel a new wave of small business formation. My plan for universal free college will: Give every American the opportunity to attend a two-year or four-year public college without paying a dime in tuition or fees; Make free college truly universal — not just in theory, but in practice — by making higher education of all kinds more inclusive and available to every single American, especially lower-income, Black, and Latinx students, without the need to take on debt to cover costs. The entire cost of my broad debt cancellation plan and universal free college is more than covered by my Ultra-Millionaire Tax — a 2% annual tax on the 75,000 families with $50 million or more in wealth." ^[source]

Bill Weld

Bill Weld said in a speech, "A system for delivering new skill sets is not the only area of education that cries out for action in the future. Parents need more options regarding the education of their children. We need to support school choice. We need to support home schooling. We need to support charter schools. And we need to consider abolishing the U. S. Department of Education, transferring decision-making authority to the States and the parents of school-age and college-age children." ^[source]

Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang's campaign website says, "The purpose of education should be to enable a citizen to live a good positive, socially productive life independent of work and further education. We need to make school more relevant to our young people by teaching them things they might actually use every day."

Yang's website lists the following education proposals: "Promote leaders in the Department of Education that promote life-skills education at least as much as higher education. Promote leaders in the DOE who envision trade skills as an educational path in secondary school. Increase funding to vocational programs within public schools. Direct the Dept. of Education to provide materials to all public schools about career paths that don’t require a college degree. Prioritize career paths that students express interest in rather than giving blanket advice that college is the right/only option. Begin a public education campaign championing vocational jobs and education. Work with states to fund their educational systems to improve teacher salaries and reduce layers of administration, leading to better educational outcomes. Direct the Department of Education to work with states to create a plan for universal pre-kindergarten education. Provide loan forgiveness for education majors who volunteer at places that provide pre-K education." ^[source]