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0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8d8c0001Click on a photo to find stories by candidate:0000017a-15d9-d736-a57f-17ff8d8c0002More Content:Our Voters Guide provides an overview of all you need to know about the 2016 N.H. Presidential Primary.Click here to explore a calendar of candidate visits and other Primary campaign events.Click here for our Money in Politics stories and data interactives.Visit our Where They Stand series for an overview of the candidates' positions on key policy questions.Visit our series Primary Backstage to learn about the people and places that make the N.H. Primary tick.To see NHPR photos from the campaign trail, visit our Primary 2016 album on Flickr.

GOP Primary Candidates Talk K-12 Education at N.H. Forum

Jason Moon
/
NHPR

Six GOP presidential candidates visited Londonderry High School Wednesday for a forum on K-12 education. The Republicans largely agreed that federal bureaucracy is behind many of the problems in public education and that more school choice is the solution.

But when it comes to Common Core, the differences begin to show. While most in the GOP field opposes the education standards, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush defended them, saying it is a matter of higher expectations.

“In my mind the debate needs to be broader," Bush said. "It needs to be about real accountability, school choice, high standards. If people don’t like Common Core, fine. Just make sure your standards are much higher than the ones you had before.”

Ohio Governor John Kasich joined other candidates in criticizing teachers unions, at one point joking that he would abolish teacher’s lounges. But he also made a softer appeal to Republican voters:

“I believe the lord watches what we do with our children," said Kasich. "And the more we dedicate ourselves to having those children rise and to use their great brains, to help heal this world and bring justice, the happier he is.”

Also speaking at the event were Carly Fiorina, Scott Walker, Bobby Jindal, and Chris Christie.

Outside the event, teacher’s union protesters described the summit as 'anti-education.'

Jason Moon is a senior reporter and producer on the Document team. He has created longform narrative podcast series on topics ranging from unsolved murders, to presidential elections, to secret lists of police officers.
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