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Subscribe to RSSAt the annual Education Nation summit, President Obama and Mitt Romney described their plans for creating a better-educated country. NBC's Rehema Ellis reports.
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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If Mitt had half a brain cell he would be dangerous.
Social Security System:
As it now functions.
There is no Social Security Trust Fund!
Unless one considsers the 2.2 Trillion Dollars the government borrowed from it. Government takes the Trust Fund to pay for Vietnam,Iraq,Afghanistan WARS and says the people now owe 2.2 Trillion Dollars to themselves and will pay interest to the FEDERAL RESERVE CORPORATION each and every year till we pay off what we owe to ourselves. SCAM ANYONE
Everything paid into Social Security each month from workers pay-checks pays for the benefits now being received.
Willard(Light In The Loafers) "MINT" Romney and the PHILOSPHER of the Replican Party (Paulie Ryan) who went to the school of Ayn Rand ;a person who professed ATHEISM.
Are LYING to the over 65 when they say they will not be affected with their NEW PLAN where one can take care of their own retirement.
When you take away the money from those dropping out of the system to the amount collected to pay those now drawing benefits; there results another one of their DEFICITS.
Who is going to pay for those now retired if there is no money being collected.
THE SCAM OF THE OVER 65 by willard and rand, I mean ryan or do
Just put the G_damn money back. Its that simple.
They don't care,they banked million on the bodies of workers.
How about the money collected from the now dead.
It makes Maddoff look honest.
jb roth; did you know you were talking only about democrats?
He's the lizard that changes color to match whatever is in the background.
A lizard for all seasons. Perfect used car salesman. You can tell he's a liar
when his lips are moving. Now even the "tea party morons can see behind
the curtain. The only candidate to vote for gun control now is the champion
for NRA. If I were them,I would bury my guns if he got elected. A true snake.
Mitt the SH-t
ge
There's nothing Romney won't flip on if he thinks he can get extra votes.
Like Ted Kennedy said " Romney isn't pro-choice, he is multiple choice"
Romney the American people will not forget your true feelings about 47% of us.
Keep talking Romney!!!!
O&JOE
"Mitt Romney softened his tone toward teachers unions and highlighted his record as governor of Massachusetts"
How do we know his record in Mass? He destroyed all the records and hard drives when he left.
And a whole state of liberal democrats wrote nothing down.
But Obama spent millions to seal his history away from us.
LasvegasDon; how did it feel when Obama told America not to go there any more?
Obama spent millions to seal his history, from "Romney's Talking Points for Dummies" ... yea, tell me how.
Romney has not change his critique of teachers and unions one bit. He was talking to students so has to change his story for the audience as he changes his story for each audience he stands in front of.
Nothing new here. He's done it since he started campaigning. Those students are the 47%.
Romney is a little late "explaining" anything to us. And pretending to respect teachers and their unions now is laughable. We already know exactly what he thinks of ALL of us. That 47% he was writing off in his speech to his donors earlier this year includes those teachers. So how can anyone believe he is even concerned about the education of the children of those people among that 47% of Americans he spit on? He and his wife and his children as well as everyone he is close with attended private schools. He does not give a crap about our kids and certainly doesn't care about their education.
You lie sooooooooooooooooooo much.
Work on your comprehension.
consider - you are correct and I am a Republican...embarrassing as hell to have people like Rummy and jdbird on our side.
When you have a case, pound the facts.
When you dont have a case, pound the table, make nursery rymes, bring up Barney Frank, blame the media, blah blah blah blah....YAWN
You O'Rielly clones crack me up.......
Have you ever watched O'Rielly, or are you just high?
Just another little piece of the 47% RobMe could care less about...
But after being told the Republicans have no way too disenfranchise Teachers from voting process RobMe decided too soften his stance...
George W. Bush was a terrible president his eight years in office were a series of disasters, fiasco, and mistakes that will take years of thoughtful, careful leadership to correct. I don't want to go back to that type of Government,
G W Bush is not running, thinking all republicans are alike is racist.
So, the GOP isn't a political party, it's a race? That made me laugh out loud! Thanks for the comedy! Let me know the next time you intend to make a jackass out of yourself! I want to be there to see it!
(I mean, damn. Where do they find these guys?)
I guess since the republicans are a suspect class they must be a race.
jdbird - eugene was clearly suggesting Romney=GWB but I guess that is too complicated for you.
Since the convention, Mitt has shifted his campaign into high gear. He has gone from a 43% chance to win according to intrade.com to 27%. This guy has no clue how to lead. He says stuff and then has to correct himself. He clearly understands money but not interest group politics. He just wants us to crown him based upon his business experience of making lots of money for investors. Not good enough Mittens!
Hey Mittens !!!! Where's your Tax Returns ????
Prior to the credit market freeze in September 2008, the highest monthly unemployment rate during 2001-August 2008 was 6.3 percent. The overall average monthly unemployment rate during the 8 years was 5.3 percent. America moved out of the recession of 2001 leading to six years of uninterrupted economic growth and a record 52 straight months of job creation.
During that timeframe the dow soared to a 14,000+ point record high
When Barack was sworn in Jan 2009 the unemployment rate was at 7.7%.
By Dec 2009 he had allowed it to climb to a staggering 10.0%, even with the $830 trillion Stimulus, we would never see that 7.7% again
Barack has been unable to bring the unemployment rate below 8.0% in 4 years
He has not even been able to bring it back to the "Bush level" he inherited....
Less we forget....
so your solution is to go back to the policies of Bush to crash it all again. Dumb a$$, go back and take your second semester of business classes OK, only this time lets elect the Christian taliban also then really screw it up. Don't you get it, the Republican Party has been co-opted by the nut cases. Think of the class of the field when Reagan ran for office and then compare that to the sad cast of characters that Romney ran against. They have become intellectually bankrupt
he ALLOWED it.... what does one alternatively do ... FORBID IT... you sound like all the reasons Mitt Romney is losing Miserably ... because you are too shallow and self confident to admit that under bush we were losing 750 THOUSAND JOBS each month and since Obamas Policies have taken hold, we have ADDED each and EVERY month ... it will take a lot of makeup to fill the Meteoric JOB CRATER That Bush left us... but your like the elephant that poops in the room, and then complains that nobodys cleaning your pile of mess up fast enough ...
Question:
Did anyone else see the video of Mittens and Lyin' Ryan in Ohio yesterday?
Mittens starts yelling for the tiny crowd to scream..."Romney & Ryan! Romney & Ryan!"-- repeatedly, like a silly, pathetic, schoolboy cheerleader-- and the crowd stands in mute silence!! So ridiculous!
This... again, THIS... is someone's idea of a presidential nominee?? Pitiful!! Ab-so-lute-ly PITIFUL!
Obama/Biden are starting to run away with this election, no doubt!!
Lucky you; but if you're one of the unemployed, poor, uneducated you're in great shape as the only thing he's done is make more people fully dependent on government. Romney could offer most of you jobs, but you'd rather just stick out your hand.
but you'd rather just stick out your hand.
"You talkin' 'bout me?"... Robert DeNiro.
Since I've earned my pay for 40 certified yrs & paid my taxes, likewise, do you still think I'm sticking my hand out for what's due me, brewzky?
Obama/Biden will win in 2012! No doubt!! 4 more for 44. FORWARD!
I don't care if he walks on water, he is a gutless coward that hid out in the Paris Ritz hotel to avoid Vietnam. He also has a male partner and I disagree with that, it is obvious that him and Bibi, (prime minister of Israel) are but! buddies
Who ever you are you are the most economically stupid person I have ever read a post from. You seem to forget the gigantic job losses through the first six months of 2009. You also seem to think that an economy can turn on a dime. Lastly the over hyped real estate market which created massive profits for wall street during bush's term lead to the economic implosion of 2008. Don't you remember Countrywide going down in 2007, Bear Sterns in 2008, Lehman Brothers in 2008, Wacovia, AIG, Providian, and on and on. Ya big dumb bunny.
The truth of the matter, it's much easier running as a liberal. Elderly, unemployed, poor and uneducated people are much easier to scare and sway. Everyone, including the handfuls of intelligent liberals know Obama has been a complete and utter failure, but they will always vote for a party no matter what.
Oh Please.. you can't possibly sit there with a straight face and pretend that your party looks like the same party is was 12 years ago ... your party has a few reflectons of what a decent party it used to be... my entire family is conservative and yet absolutley appalled at the this feckless nominee we're stuck with! I wised up years ago ... honestly, Gary Johnson makes the most sense .. he's on the ballot in every state... and someone who doesn't want to vote for obama doesn't have to feel dirty when you come out of the voting booth after voting for Romney ... some of us still have to look in the mirror for the next four years and Romneys reaction to the Libya Murders were the LAST STRAW ...