Casey, Santorum promote education views

The state treasurer and Democratic challenger in the Senate race touts his longtime support for public education and pledges to deliver billions of federal dollars promised for school improvement if he is elected this year.
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Casey opposes government vouchers for parents to send their children to private schools, because, he says, the vouchers take away public school resources. Santorum said he believes parents should be able to move children from failing schools and supports vouchers.

Casey calls for reversing cuts to popular programs; targeting incentives for women and minorities to study math and sciences; spending more for early childhood programs; and buying school computers.

Casey faulted Santorum's education record, including votes to cut or freeze early childhood education spending and for failing to fully pay for the requirements of the No Child Left Behind law.

Funding for Head Start, which provides early childhood education, has been frozen, and programs for disabled children never approached promised levels.

"There's a total abdication of responsibility," Casey said.

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