It’s not easy to get politicians to veer away from their established rhetoric, but an education-reform advocate and former journalist did her best Wednesday during a pointed meeting with six Republicans seeking their party’s presidential nomination.

“None of us want to hear talking points, and we’ve made that clear to the candidates,” Campbell Brown, a former CNN and NBC journalist, said before putting the six through the paces on education.

[lz_ndn video= 29574291]

Brown, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Seventy Four, a nonprofit news site that covers education reform across the U.S, questioned the candidates Wednesday in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Surprisingly, the candidates steered clear of pat campaign blather.

In the end, the candidates agreed on many planks in the Republican Party’s educational platform. All are proponents of school choice. Most are against Common Core. All want to loosen the labor union stranglehold on education, want to see dollars flowing to local municipalities rather than federal programs, and view parental influence and involvement as critical to a child’s educational success.

Jeb Bush
Bush’s support of Common Core came up early in the session. “What’s that?” he joked.

“It’s not like pornography, where you know it when you see it. But clearly low standards — you know it. That’s what most states have had.”

The former governor of Florida said he agreed that individual states should set their own educational standards, as long as they’re high. But he seemed flummoxed when asked how one knows whether a state has high standards, if all states set their own.

“It’s not like pornography, where you know it when you see it. But clearly low standards — you know it. That’s what most states have had.”

He added, “We can’t keep dumbing down standards.”

Bush also advocated using grants and other federal funding to support private pre-K programs. And he crowed about his clashes with teachers’ unions in Florida, saying, “I’ve got tire marks on my forehead. You can see the gashes here. I’ve got a lot of scars.”

Who do you think would win the Presidency?

By completing the poll, you agree to receive emails from LifeZette, occasional offers from our partners and that you've read and agree to our privacy policy and legal statement.

Carly Fiorina
Fiorina minced no words. “We are not preparing our kids for the 21st century,” she said. “In the case of education, I think we have to start with the fundamental question: Should someone else be doing that?” Bureaucracy, Fiorina said, “crushes innovation.”

The former Hewlett-Packard CEO advocated mentorships and internships, and said instead of spending money on useless programs, funding should go to hiring and keeping superior teachers. Fiorina dismissed Common Core, saying its standards are too heavily influenced by testing companies and textbook companies.

“Sounds like a bit of a racket, to me,” she quipped.

Fiorina dismissed Common Core, saying its standards are too heavily influenced by testing companies and textbook companies. “Sounds like a bit of a racket, to me.”

She also took on the labor unions. “What do unions reward? Seniority,” she said. “A seniority system over time discourages excellence. Seniority, as opposed to a meritocracy, rewards you for just sitting in a chair.”

John Kasich
With a relaxed demeanor and earnest tone, Kasich spoke about robust school choice for students and parents, whom he said should be actively involved in their child’s education.

“Dig in!” he encouraged parents. Kasich also bemoaned the knowledge gap for outgoing high-schoolers, claiming “40 percent of high school graduates are taking remedial English in college.”

Kasich drew laughs when he criticized teachers’ unions, saying: “If I were not president, but if I were king of America, I would abolish all teachers’ lounges, where they sit together and worry about ‘Oh, woe is me.’ ”

“I would abolish all teachers’ lounges, where they sit together and worry about ‘Oh, woe is me,’ ” said Kasich.

But the Ohio governor was alone in defending Common Core. “I’m not going to change my position because there are four people in the front row yelling at me. I just don’t operate that way,” he said.

Scott Walker
Walker’s educational values lined up with the other candidates — against labor unions, against big government in education, and for choice in schools.

Walker, the Wisconsin governor with the folksy demeanor, is against Common Core, and has been moving to free his state from its requirements. He pushed through legislation that reduced the influence and power of public-sector labor unions, including teachers’ unions, which drew thousands of protesters in 2011. He called the reauthorization of No Child Left Behind well-intentioned, but said it sets up barriers to funds reaching the classroom.

What looks good in Washington, D.C., he said, doesn’t translate to the classroom. To illustrate his points, he held up a dollar bill. “Where would you rather see this go?” he asked.

Bobby Jindal
Louisiana’s governor looks at education in his state through the lens of Hurricane Katrina, and a model he called “recovery school districts.”

Parents should have unlimited say, said Jindal. And they’re also best at making sure federal dollars are spent efficiently.

Already planned for pre-Katrina, the 2005 hurricane forced the issue for New Orleans schools, wiping out old infrastructure. Before Katrina, 60 percent of students were attending failing schools, with a graduation rate less than 50 percent. Now the graduation rate is 70 percent, and Louisiana boasts the only 100-percent school choice state.

A vigorous opponent of Common Core, Jindal opposes the lack of parental input into curriculum and its rigid structure. Only 15 percent of Common Core curriculum is flexible.

Parents should have unlimited say, he said. And they’re also best at making sure federal dollars are spent efficiently. “Let’s not be a little bit pregnant,” he said with a smile.

Chris Christie
The last candidate on stage, Gov. Christie stretched his legs out comfortably in front of him, and smiled agreeably at Brown and the crowd. When asked about New Jersey, which has the highest test scores but also the highest achievement gap, Christie said the problem is a lack of cooperation from the educational establishment.

“One of the most frustrating things about education is that we know how to fix it,” he said.

Moderator Campbell Brown listens as Republican presidential candidate, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks during an education summit, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2015, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)
Moderator Campbell Brown with Gov. Chris Christie during an education summit on Aug. 19, 2015, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Jim Cole)

Christie touted his ability to work with those he found personally distasteful. “Bush said he couldn’t work with her,” he said, referring to Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, “but I could.”

He again stated the importance of collaboration, stating he could work with teachers’ unions, though he stresses that labor unions need “a political punch in the face.”

He abandoned Common Core prior to announcing his presidential candidacy.

“I have three constituencies that hate Common Core – teachers, parents, and students.”