WASHINGTON (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, trying to solidify support among the nation's teachers, says the White House must do more to help schools.þþ``Responsibility must begin in Washington, not end there,'' Kerry said in remarks prepared for a series of speeches Tuesday, including an address to the National Education Association, which endorsed Kerry's presidential bid the day before.þþ``As president, I'll usher in a new era of responsibility,'' Kerry was telling the nation's largest union. ``We'll put the federal government back in line with our values and build a stronger America together.''þþFor education, Kerry said that means putting billions more dollars behind the No Child Left Behind law, rewarding outstanding teachers but speeding dismissals of poor ones, and investing more in school dropout prevention.þþThe endorsement by the 2.7-million member union of teachers and other school workers put a headline on the NEA's campaign for more education spending and changes in the nation's far-reaching education law.þþThe union gives Kerry a large mobilizing force. The NEA will target its political staff in 15 swing states, going into schools to rally its members and helping sponsor a night of political house parties.þþIn turn, a Kerry administration could restore the union's access to the White House and advance its agenda on issues such as reforming student testing and halting any federal drive for private-school vouchers.þþThe Massachusetts senator offers many teacher-friendly promises the union likes, but he also proposes ideas the NEA long has opposed, such as paying bonuses to teachers based on how well students perform on tests.þþSome 9,000 NEA delegates meeting Monday in Washington gave Kerry a slightly smaller vote of support -- 86.5 percent -- than the 88 percent Al Gore got and the 91 percent Bill Clinton got during their presidential runs. NEA president Reg Weaver said members are just getting to know Kerry and are ``peaking at the right time.''þþTo the public, education trails the Iraq war, terrorism and jobs as a voting priority. But it could make the difference among key groups, such as Hispanics and married women with children, political strategists say.þþAt the heart of the political debate in education is the No Child Left Behind law that was championed by Bush and supported by Kerry in 2001. It requires a highly qualified teacher in all core classes, expanded standardized testing, more choices for parents and public reporting of how well all major groups of students perform. Schools that get federal poverty money but don't make enough progress face penalties.þþThe union opposes several aspects of the law, from the special rules given to teachers in alternative training programs to federal spending that, while at record levels, falls well short of the maximum allowed.þþKerry says he supports changes, such as reducing a reliance on high-stakes tests in determining school progress, and enforcing graduation requirements he says Bush has ignored.þþYet Kerry wants to send a politically centrist message of accountability and show a little distance from the union, calling for tougher teacher certification tests and quicker dismissal of poor teachers.þþAlthough a quarter of NEA members identify themselves with the Republican Party, the union has never endorsed a Republican for president and typically spends $9 out of every $10 it raises on Democrats.þþIts relationship with the Bush administration has been particularly prickly since Education Secretary Rod Paige called the union a ``terrorist organization'' and even annoyed members with how he apologized.þþBush, though, is credited with helping Republicans take a Democratic issue by making education a key part of his 2000 campaign and pushing through a law that demands more attention for the poor and minorities.þþThe union, which prides itself on being run from the bottom up, called its support for Kerry a ``recommendation,'' not an endorsement, to avoid appearing it was telling its members how to vote in November.þþ
Source: NY Times
