Photo by Kait Stansbury
While the vast majority of “The Weekly” staff is under 18 and can’t yet vote, we understand the importance of educating oneself on the views of the candidates, one of whom will be leading our country in a matter of days. For the 2016 Presidential election, we endorse (perhaps for the first time in the history of “The Weekly”?) Democratic nominee Hillary Rodham Clinton.

While we could fill an entire issue of “The Weekly” with horrific quotes from Republican nominee Donald J. Trump or debate the importance of Clinton’s misuse of a private email server, that isn’t what this editorial will focus on. If you’re looking for that kind of piece, check the internet. We’ve have had enough of that. In addition, this article won’t focus on which candidate will grow our national economy or craft better international deals, as we can’t possibly analyze those policies nearly as well as professional economists and politicians. Instead, this piece will focus on the candidates’ plans for the future of education in our country and how they will affect students like us throughout the country.

“The Weekly” staff overwhelmingly believes that Clinton’s plans for education will benefit more students and improve schools for all youth. Her plan to universalize preschool, increase child care investments, and double investments in early head start programs will ensure that all underprivileged youth will have access to at least the most basic education from the moment they require it, so they don’t fall behind in later years.

Clinton’s “New College Compact” pushes state governments to re-invest in schools and encourages schools to reduce costs. It also ensures that all students can attend a public college without taking loans for tuition or, alternatively, a community college completely tuition-free. This Compact will help guarantee that a family’s wealth will not determine whether they can receive the best education our country has to offer. Clinton will also hold universities accountable for controlling their tuitions.

Clinton’s commitment to diversity in education is evident through her pledge to support historically black universities and other minority-focused colleges with a $25 billion fund paid for through limiting tax spending for high-income taxpayers. Clinton stressed the importance of ending the school-to-prison pipeline but gave few specifics for how she might do so–we hope that her other educational policies will help end that cycle at the root of its problem: inequitable education.

The immense number of sexual assaults on campuses is a sad reality for our places of higher education. Clinton plans to provide extra support for survivors, start prevention efforts earlier–such as increasing education about sexual violence in both college and secondary schools–and ensure a fair process for all those who file reports on abuse cases.

On the other hand, Trump’s education plan isn’t nearly as extensive. His website gives a few stats about how our education system ranks in the bottom half of advanced countries, but proposes very few solutions.

One of the largest differences between the two candidates’ views on education is Trump’s support of school choice, a program that would allow students to choose between multiple alternative schools, instead of the current public school system that restricts students based on the area in which they live.

While the lower quality of education in African-American and other minority-dominated neighborhoods of lesser wealth is one of the most important educational issues for our country, simply allowing those students to attend outside schools won’t fix the problem. Schools are local hubs not only for learning, but also for socializing, exploring extracurricular activities, and more, and Trump’s plans deprive countless communities of these extremely important centers. His proposal is a short-term fix to a long-term problem. Clinton, on the other hand, will face the problem head-on through her emphasis on supporting lower-class families and minority communities.

In addition, Trump claims that he will fund his school choice with $20 billion which he will obtain through prioritizing existing federal dollars. He may claim to be some genius businessman, but he isn’t fooling us. Clinton will fund her plans by raising taxes for upper class families, a decision that will immensely benefit the general population of our country.

Neither of the candidates has perfect platforms, but “The Weekly” staff believes that Hillary Clinton’s plans for the future of education in our country are far superior and will improve education for all students.