Question

Read the excerpt from "What’s Possible for Our Children” by Barack Obama.

Forcing our teachers, our principals and our schools to accomplish all of this without the resources they need is wrong. Promising high-quality teachers in every classroom and then leaving the support and the pay for those teachers behind is wrong. Labeling a school and its students as failures one day and then throwing your hands up and walking away from them the next is wrong.

Read the excerpt from "Remarks on No Child Left Behind Bill” by George W. Bush.

And so, therefore, this bill’s second principle is, is that we trust parents to make the right decisions for their children. Any school that doesn’t perform, any school that cannot catch up and do its job, a parent will have these options—a better public school, a tutor, or a charter school. We do not want children trapped in schools that will not change and will not teach.

How do the speakers’ perspectives differ on handling schools that perform poorly?

Obama believes that it is wrong to give up on schools that perform poorly, while Bush believes that parents should be able to opt out of failing schools.
Obama believes that schools that perform poorly need more resources, while Bush believes that they need more government control.
Obama believes that students can succeed even if they attend schools that perform poorly, while Bush believes that they cannot be helped.
Obama explains why schools that perform poorly need better teachers, while Bush explains why these schools need more parent involvement.

Answer 1

The speakers’ perspectives differ on handling schools that perform poorly as follows:

Obama believes that it is wrong to give up on schools that perform poorly, while Bush believes that parents should be able to opt out of failing schools.

In the excerpt, Obama argues that labeling schools and their students as failures and then abandoning them is wrong. He believes that schools that perform poorly need resources and support to improve, including high-quality teachers. On the other hand, Bush's remarks suggest that parents should have the option to choose a better school, a tutor, or a charter school if their child's school is not performing well. Bush's approach emphasizes parental choice and competition among schools, while Obama's approach emphasizes support and resources for struggling schools.