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NEW YORK-- Mitt Romney softened his tone toward teachers unions and highlighted his record as governor of Massachusetts at NBC News' Education Nation summit Tuesday in New York.
The Republican presidential nominee offered one of the most detailed glimpses of his education policy at the forum this morning, laying off his often brusque language toward unions and playing up parents' role in the educational success of their children.
At the Education Nation Summit NBC's Brian Williams spoke with GOP contender Mitt Romney, who shared his positions on teachers unions, strikes and compensation.
Teachers' unions, long the villains in Romney's public remarks on education, received somewhat gentler handling from the GOP nominee today, who said he "understood" the unions had to look out for their members, and that they had a right to strike over grievances -- but that parents also had the prerogative to look out for their kids' educations.
"The teachers' union has every right to represent their members in the way they think is best for their members, but we have a every right to in fact say, 'No, this is what we want to do, which is in the best interest of our children,'" Romney said, before offering his prescription for improving the quality of teaching. "I believe the best interest of our children is to recognize that teaching is a profession, like your profession, like my profession, like lawyers, like doctors, and that the very best are more highly compensated and rewarded and measured."
President Obama delivers remarks at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in New York City.
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The former Massachusetts governor spoke and took questions on topics relating to education for 45 minutes here today as part of NBC News' Education Nation summit, and gave some of his most nuanced views yet on the issues at the heart of the effort to improve America's faltering public education system.
Romney also softened his tone, but did not change his argument, on the issue of class sizes, an issue on which he's battled teachers unions before, both in Massachusetts and on the campaign trail. Romney has called the fight for smaller class sizes a union-driven issue designed to spur the hiring of more teachers. He regularly cites a study authored by the consulting group McKinsey & Co. which shows class sizes, within a reasonable margin, are not a leading indicator of successful schools.
Reuters, Getty Images
In the final push in the 2012 presidential election, candidates Mitt Romney and Barack Obama make their last appeals to voters.
Today, Romney said his experience in Massachusetts taught him that class sizes "turned out to be a factor, but not a big one," to successful students, but continued to push for higher standards and pay for the best teachers, and for more parental involvement in education.
"The involvement of parents, particularly two parents, its an enormous advantage for the child," Romney said after retelling a story he heard from a teacher in Massachusetts who told him the way to tell if a student would succeed in school was whether or not their parents came to parent-teacher conferences with regularity.
Related: Education Nation – starkly different visions from Obama, Romney
Education has been one of the top issues for Romney outside 2012's dominant theme, the economy. The former Massachusetts governor often turns to the topic of education in speeches before minority audiences.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney spoke with NBC's Brian Williams on the importance of education, teachers compensation and early childhood education at Education Nation.
Romney held up several models for successful education reform; including his own tenure in Massachusetts, the reforms passed in Florida under Republican governor Jeb Bush, and the charter Harlem Children's Zone, some 100 blocks north of the site of today's event.
Romney even praised the current Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, mostly for his efforts to reward innovative schools and for opening options for more school choice, but stopped short of saying he would offer the Democrat a spot in his own cabinet.
"I'm not putting anybody on my cabinet right now, Brian," Romney laughed to moderator Brian Williams. "It's a little presumptuous of me, but just a little."
The Obama campaign wasn't laughing along.
“Mitt Romney’s education rhetoric today may have sounded nice, but it doesn’t square with his record or policies, which are informed by the mistaken belief that we can somehow improve our schools while cutting their budgets and laying off teachers," Obama campaign spokesperson Lis Smith said in a statement.
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Romney is apparently very religious. If I were him I would start praying for divine intervention.
In spite of Romney's feeble effort to convince everybody that he's "on their side", as time goes by and he keeps stepping in his own $#!t, he's unintentionally showing his true colors. His only intent is to make the rich and powerful people (including himself) richer and more powerful, and the rest of us poorer. He is a whore for the super-rich and powerful. Outsourcing jobs to slave nations while eliminating taxes for the wealthy is his bailiwick. He will try to maximize the gap between real people and his cronies.
jerry,
I am so sorry you don't know how to make YOURSELF "rich".
I am so sorry you think some s(hmuck in Washington will make you "rich".
I ma so sorry you think you are stuck in your lot in life.
Come on Liberal media. Why do you play these games of bias. In this article that is about Romney's speech, you had to show two clips of Obummer. You just can't stand it unless you are flashing him waving and smiling at every turn. Then you manage to put up a not so complimentary photo of Romney. Get over it and report the news fairly!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I thought I was the only 1 who saw that....
Obama is over on the NFL page telling them why they should have Union Refs.
What a joke this Muslim is.
Romney -Ryan Nov 6
Be sure to tune in tomorrow when Mitt changes his opinion on this matter.
Why doesn't criticize those Harvard elitist graduates? You say he's a Harvard graduate? Never mind.
So Mittens, you realized it sounded a little crazy to say that it was ok for enormous foreign owned corporations to donate unlimited funds to super pacs but not ok for individual American citizens to do so??
Thats swell! Just keep talking jackwagon, that's all you need to do to sink your campaign.
I see all the unemployed Libs are here posting again.... Dont worry libs for it will take some time for President Romney to change things so all those freebies will be around for a little while........
Mitt changes his opinion more then he changes his "magic" underwear!
For one I never will believe anything Nitt Witt Mitt says so he can fall off the earth I could care less. IF by some miracle he does get into the White House due to fools putting him there, he won't be there long don't want him there so he will be evicted one way or another and I hope someone does it quick then have to get Dying Ryan out of it too. Neither of them are real Americans they are commy brothers for sure. They both lie with every word and care nothing for Americans they only care for their Red Card Carrying Commies buddies. No one in America needs either one of them getting rid of them would be civic improvement for sure.
Romeny panders to any group if he was in a roomfull of fat kids he'd say that cake was a vegetable. He has no firm opinions on anything it seems. Not fit to be a leader. Neither a true conservitave nor a couragous modderate. As bad as Obama is at times Romeny is worse. Sad state of affairs for this country when this is our choice.
Class room size is a significant factor in successful teaching as the more kids you have the more likely class behavior management is a struggle. It is easy for someone who does not rely or depend upon public education to demand cuts in funding which would increase class room size. Afterall, it won't be his kids/grandkids struggling to hear the teacher amongst the roudy children in the room. I guess however, this must be my sense of "entitlement" that Romney so dispises. The working masses want education and employment...go figure? No, it doesn't matter if your tone is soft or not, if you're planning on cheating my kids, I won't vote for you. About the only thing I agree, is that there needs to be more parental responsibility and involvement with a child's education. Also, no I am not a teacher, but a parent who has observed the difference between a class room size of 20 vs. 30. Which size do you think was more conducive to learning?
Class size is BS.. When I went to school the classes were around 30 per class and most all learned a lot as we knew how to act and learn as in today there is no I say no control of students... Students control the classroom now days.......
Romney's business experience will help get our nation back on track
What Business experience? All he did was buy them and shut them down.....he never ran them. You should know that by the way he is running his campaign.
He was a hatchett man and an out-sourced tons of American jobs.
Romney is a weasel and would say or do anything to get into the White house.
Middle class income drops as Union representation in the workforce declines.
Union bashing makes the middle class poorer.
http://cdn.theatlantic.com/static/mt/assets/business/Screen%20Shot%202012-06-07%20at%2012.16.34%20PM.png
Why is when Romney Flip Flops or says something stupid you Blame the Media?
They are just printing what he says.......if you don't want them to Print it tell him to STFU!!!
The unemployed libs you speak of,had their jobs outsourced by Romney and his friends to FOREIGN countries! You know where Romney hides all his millions of dollars overseas! Yeah a real patriot! Yellow coward Chickenhawk draft dodger!
@ toney
what branch did you serve in.
Romney -Ryan Nov 6
This man is unbelievable - he will say anything to get elected - doesn't he realize he flip-flops on almost everything? It's hard to keep up with where he is on any one topic from hour to hour, much less day to day.
I dont' believe anything he says - NOTHING!
Play the Audience. Anything to close the deal and get the job. He IS an elite Big business salesman. We'll suffer after it's too late and realize that he REALLY IS a complete moron. That's why the GOP chants "2016". They know in their hearts this guy is wrong, but would whether have an imcompetent GOP candidate than Obama winning again. Mitt will make an excellent puppet for Big Business.
Well Mitt, that would be great IF both parents didn't have to work in YOUR idea of fair tax codes......big breaks for the "job creators" (what a laugh!), and the individually higher percentage burden on middle and lower class Americans....the same Americans that are our military, most all white and blue collar jobs, most all public service jobs, construction jobs......in other words all REAL AMERICAN JOBS, you SOB! If there were no UNIONS people like you would put your foot on the neck of every honest working man you could. Take your twisted view of America and go back to Mexico!
Mittens is flip-flopping again. Is he a moderate (the way he governed) or is he the right winger he assured his fundraisers and the base?
It just galls me to have some schmuck ,who has never spent a day in a classroom, say he knows what's best for teachers and students. That goes for both parties even though the Democrats are generally much more Teacher friendly.
Try telling that Teacher with 35 knotheads in class that class size doesn't matter. Romney claims it is a ploy to hire more teachers, what an ass clown.
Jim
He and his kids went to Private Schools.......what would they know.
This IDIOT !! will change his so called thoughts every day What a scum bag !! I have never seen such and Idiot in my life. He has no brain or any morals
Maybe if we cut some unneccessary administrators, consolidate some rural schools, do some on line class work for secondary students, hold teachers and students accountable, put teachers and admin on similar benefit plans the private sector has, allow charter schools for students at chronically underperforming schools, and stop thinking that every education concern can be fixed with more dollars thrown at teacher's unions, we'd have a head start.
Romney and his kind want to return to a 1890s world,slave wages,80 hour work weeks,no retirement,no benefits no labor laws,work until you die,and often that was on the job! Enjoy suckers,your not worthy! ! Vote for me!
"I wish some politician or corporate hatchet man without any teaching experience would come in to my class room and tell me how to teach and what the appropriate size of my class should be," said NO TEACHER EVER.