Explore Candidates → Rudy Giuliani on Education
Rudy Giuliani on Education
Giuliani has called No Child Left Behind a "marginal success," but when talking about education policy emphasizes the need for more school choice.
"Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani's(R) campaign refused to comment specifically on No Child Left Behind. Giuliani spokeswoman Maria Comella instead pointed to Giuliani's recent comments regarding education, which indicated that he supports efforts to lessen federal regulation of schools."
New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, facing criticism that minority-owned businesses are suffering under his administration, vigorously defends his decision three years ago to dismantle affirmative action program that steered city contracts to such businesses; says the program had been of questionable legality ever since several court decisions declared such practices unconstitutional.
NY Times "Defends His Decision" Mar 24, 1997, by Randy Kennedy
When the Liberal Party Policy Committee reviewed a list of key social issues of deep concern to progressive New Yorkers, we found that Rudy Giuliani agreed with the Liberal Party's stance on a majority of such issues. He agreed with the Liberal Party's views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer and tuition tax credits.
Article NY Liberal Party Endorsement, in 3/25/05 NY Observer Apr 8, 1989
He trimmed affirmative action, effectively ended racial quotas at the City University of New York and championed school choice.
While mayor of NY he instituted Project Read which increased student's scores on the citywide reading test by 3.9 percentage points in 1998. This highly intensive school day and after-school program now reaches more than 130,000 students.
RudyYes.com, “Proven Leadership” web site Dec 9, 1999
$50M for more art teachers & art programs. Project Arts has permanently restored arts programming to 830 city schools. By the end of the year, the program will be in place throughout our school system. Since its inception in 1997, 750 arts teachers have been hired - 285 in 1998 alone. The City has dedicated $50 million to ensure that our children receive the tools they need to enrich their lives and succeed as well-rounded individuals.
RudyYes.com, “Proven Leadership” web site Dec 9, 1999
Supports increased school funding.
Charter schools are a great way to create competition. [New Yorkers] should want the competition for the good of our kids. Let’s push for more and more charter schools.
State of the City Address Jan 13, 2000
I was very proud to announce that New York City was taking the lead in encouraging the growth of charter schools by instituting the first and most generous local charter school grant fund in the nation.
He also promotes the expansion charter schools, while providing equal funding and facilities.
"Here's how we're going to save American public education. We're going to take the decision making and put it in the hands of the people that really know the children, really love the children, really care about the children more than anyone else: the parents."
I am going to continue to fight for a voucher program in New York City. Because I believe the experiment in Milwaukee is something that should be tried in New York. Let me explain my thinking about this: I think our school system is in such bad shape that we do not have room to exclude any experiment that might help our children, and that is proven somewhere else. Our children are entitled to all the good ideas, all the innovative ideas, and every new thing that is helping education elsewhere.
State of the City Address Jan 13, 2000
We're only going to win the battle for choice for parents when the word "voucher" loses its stigma. In using all the euphemisms, voucher advocates cede the battle, because behind people's fear of the word lies the contorted thinking that prevents voucher programs from being adopted. Those who oppose vouchers tend not to understand them. For those of us who believe in the concept, it's our job to defang the word, to counter the irrational reaction to it. The more supporters say the word, the less opponents can milk it for propaganda reasons.
Leadership, autobiography by Rudolph Giuliani, p.195-6 Oct 1, 2002
"We will provide access to a quality education to every child in America by giving real school choice to parents. The power in the school system... has to go to the consumers. When power is in the hands of the consumers, and you have empowered consumers and large number of them, that's how you take a large system and you make it less expensive and higher quality."
"The only way you are going to reform education in this country, and I'm talking about public education, is to make it consumer-driven. Turn the power in the education system to take it away from the bureaucrats in Washington in the Department of Education, the bureaucrats in the state boards of education, the bureaucrats in the local boards of education... The best people to evaluate the standards for schools are the parents. Give them the power to do it by giving them vouchers."
Giuliani's 2000 incentive based pay plan for teachers, while mayor of NY, would reward individual teachers with bonuses based on their students' test scores.
While mayor of NY citty: Giuliani administration, [took] hard-line approach in contract talks [with teachers union], [demanding] that teachers accept merit pay system.
Although Mr. Giuliani [as mayor of NY city] has long advocated a switch to merit-based pay, no such agreement has ever been reached with the teachers' union.
You had to pay someone who succeeded as much as you paid someone who failed... so I became very interested in the idea of school choice.
The main purpose of the system is not to educate children.There is a more important, more overriding purpose, and it exists in the laws, in the agreements and contracts and everything else. The single most important rationale of the New York City school system is to protect the jobs of the people in the system. It exists for the purpose now of creating, protecting and enshrining numerous jobs. And anything that affects those jobs is not allowed to be considered or done.
The salary is the same whether the teacher is a great teacher, an average teacher or a lousy teacher. The raises are the same, whether the teacher is a great teacher, an average teacher or a lousy teacher. And the ability to even remove the worst teachers is virtually not there because of the set of laws and contracts that surround and protect everyone. The most important reason for which any school exists is the education of the child. And then everything else flows from that. Then from that, from the good job you're doing educating children, then you become an important teacher and a very well-paid teacher. And if it's a bad job, just the opposite happens. I believe that choice will allow that to happen because all of a sudden the evaluators of the schools will be the people who have the most interest in the schools: the parents.
"It boggles the mind that nearly two centuries after Darwin, and 80 years after John Scopes was put on trial, the country is still debating the validity of evolution," and adding, "This not only devalues science, it cheapens theology. As well as condemning these students to an inferior education, it ultimately hurts their professional opportunities."
"Opposes prayer in school. When the Liberal Party reviewed a list of key social issues of deep concern to progressive New Yorkers, we found that Giuliani agreed with the Liberal Party's stance on a majority of such issues. He agreed with the Liberal Party's views on affirmative action, gay rights, gun control, school prayer & tuition tax credits.Those who are trying to destroy our liberal principles insist that an America without prayer in school is a ""Godless nation"". -- Liberal Party Platform (2006)."
Article NY Liberal Party Endorsement, in 3/25/05 NY Observer Apr 8, 1989
He opposes prayer in schools, but defended a teacher fired for praying with students, saying she should have been given another chance.
He has opposed school prayer.
Has no specific national-service plan, but the former mayor of New York City opposes anything mandatory, especially involving the military