The Hill article The two presidential candidates with the best overall education records have come into contention over their use of private schools, according to a new poll.
The Wall Street Journal/NBC News/Marist Poll released Thursday found that Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, and Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon, have consistently shown the best track records on the issue of education.
The poll found that while Carson is far behind Trump in his overall education record, he has a much better track record than Trump on one issue.
Trump has shown the highest level of support for charter schools, and Carson has shown a much more positive track record on the matter than Trump.
Both candidates support the use of charter schools.
Both candidates favor the expansion of voucher programs that allow parents to send their children to private schools.
The Journal/MCM poll also found that Carson is much more supportive of vouchers than Trump is.
Carson, who has been endorsed by the American Federation for Children, supports vouchers that are available to poor students and families.
Trump has not yet endorsed vouchers.
Trump, the first African American to be nominated for president, supports charter schools but has not offered a specific plan on how he would implement them.
Citing the “troubling” trend of declining student achievement and student poverty, Carson said in January that “there is no question that there is a crisis of the American education system.”
The poll also shows that Carson, who is the only candidate to have received an A rating from the National Governors Association, has a higher percentage of white voters than Trump, 46 percent compared to 34 percent.
Trump also has a smaller share of African Americans than Carson, while Carson has a larger share of Hispanics.
Both the candidates have received the endorsement of former Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, who endorsed Trump last month.
