Words: Biden believes that better paid teachers lead to better educational results and that pay rates should be performance-based. He also feels that the racial achievement gap can be overcome with early education. He supports teaching age-appropriate sex education, including contraception information. He admits that voting for “No Child Left Behind” was a mistake. “You need smaller classrooms. You need to start kids earlier. It’s all basic.”

Actions: Biden voted FOR national education standards (1994), AGAINST requiring schools to allow voluntary prayer (1994), FOR funding abstinence education (1996), AGAINST school vouchers in DC (1997), FOR education savings accounts (2000), FOR funding smaller classes and student testing instead of private tutors (2001), AGAINST spending tax cut funds on education (2001), FOR funding local educational agencies (2005), and FOR funding after-school programs (2005). The NEA has given him a rating of 27%.

More about: Education, Joe Biden.