from each of the presidential candidates

President Bush

* Strengthen Head Start by focusing on school readiness and allowing states to integrate Head Start programs into their existing preschool efforts. Utah does not have a state-funded preschool or pre-kindergarten program.

* Expand No Child Left Behind to require standardized testing in grades three through 11 in reading and math. The law currently requires testing in grades three through eight and once in high school. Scores are used to identify schools that don't show annual gains for all students. Utah already has standardized tests in grades one through 11.

* Boost funding for low-income students to take advanced placement courses.

* Direct $1 billion from the Perkins Vocational Education program into a new Secondary and Technical Education program to ensure participating schools offer four years of English, three years of math and science and 3 1/2 years of social studies as part of their vocational programs.

* Increase Pell Grant awards for low-income students who take rigorous classes in high school.

* Increase loan limits for first-year college students from $2,625 to $3,000 and allow low-default schools more flexibility in loan disbursements.

* Provide $125 million in grants as an incentive for community colleges to provide dual enrollment programs for high school students to earn college credit and graduate in less time.

* Create a $500 million incentive fund to reward teachers who teach in low-income schools or who improve student achievement.

* Increase loan forgiveness from $5,000 to $17,500 for highly qualified math, science and special-education teachers who serve low-income communities.

Sen. John Kerry

* Create a $200 billion national education trust fund that automatically funds any new education programs - including No Child Left Behind - authorized by Congress. This would replace today's system in which education spending is allocated at Congress' discretion.

* Increase high school graduation rates by strengthening mentoring programs in middle schools, promoting smaller high schools and "supporting" states that revoke driver's licenses from students who drop out.

* Increase salaries by $5,000 each for teachers in high-need schools and shortage subjects such as math and science. The National Education Association and the American Federation of Teachers, as is usual in presidential politics, endorsed the Democrat.

* Reward teachers for improving student performance.

* Require rigorous certification tests for all new teachers.

* Offer scholarships or forgive college loans for college graduates who teach at least four years in high-need schools.

* Require colleges of education to report in greater detail how well their graduates do on teacher-certification exams, how many graduates teach in high-need schools, how long they remain teachers and how well they perform in the classroom.

* Require states to develop standards for rating the performance of colleges of education, and "after an appropriate period" withhold funds from schools that don't meet those standards.

* Offer monetary incentives for school districts and teachers unions to establish plans for teachers to earn more money based on their knowledge, skills, demonstrated ability and measurable improvements in student achievement. Both want to boost early-childhood education programs and strengthen high-school graduates' skills.

Both want to reward teachers who take on tough assignments or improve student achievement.

Both want to continue No Child Left Behind's school-accountability system.

So exactly what is the difference between President Bush and Democratic challenger John Kerry when it comes to education?

Here is a look at where the candidates stand on key education issues based on e-mailed responses from Bush campaign spokesman Danny Diaz and Kerry campaign spokesman Luiz Vizcaino.

Funding

The U.S. Department of Education's budget surged by 58 percent, from $39.9 billion in 2001 to an estimated $66.4 billion in 2005 - an increase larger than the department saw under President Clinton's entire eight years in office.

"The truth is that these historic increases, in many cases, are flooding states with money faster than they can spend it," Diaz said.

Kerry and education groups like the National Education Association say it's not enough and falls billions of dollars short of the levels promised by Bush when the law passed.

In addition, the funding hike accompanied a slew of new mandates on testing students, measuring school quality based on annual test scores, and strengthening teacher qualifications, among other requirements.

By all accounts, Bush's No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is one of the biggest - and most expensive - changes in federal education policy.

"George W. Bush has failed to provide the resources necessary for schools to meet the new requirements," Vizcaino said. "This has left inadequate support for the priorities we all share, like smaller class sizes, more textbooks and more after-school opportunities."

Kerry proposes increasing school funding by creating an education trust fund, but the Bush campaign counters that Kerry can't afford increased education funding because his ambitious health-care proposal would draw funds away from education.

No Child Left Behind

Utah attracted national attention earlier this year when state Rep. Margaret Dayton filed a bill directing public schools to boycott the federal mandates and forgo more than $100 million that comes with them.

The bill died quietly after federal officials visited the Orem Republican and other state leaders, but the proposal will be back during the 2005 general session. Dayton, the chairwoman of the House Education Committee, has already opened a bill file titled "No Child Left Behind Opt Out."

Her primary concerns are inadequate funding and the federal government's intrusion into what is traditionally a state domain.

She may have even more reason if Bush is re-elected. The president wants to expand No Child Left Behind by requiring more standardized testing in high school, and using results to identify and target assistance to struggling students.

It's Utah's prerogative if lawmakers choose to opt out of the law, Diaz said. "Accountability is simply the responsibility and obligation a school has to make sure students are proficient in reading and math, don't drop out and graduate on time," Diaz said. "No state is compelled to accept federal funds.

"If states do not agree with the accountability required as part of the federal funds, they can decide not to accept the funding."

Many Utah educators don't like the law, but at the same time, they're not willing to give up federal money targeted at improving academic achievement among low-income students.

Kerry and Edwards say they will provide the resources needed to carry out the reforms and improve school quality, but neither offers suggestions for amending the law or relaxing provisions educators find troublesome.

More than anything, Vizcaino said, it's the Bush administration that is responsible for states' implementation problems.

"Only recently has the Bush administration responded to the concerns of states and school districts in the implementation of No Child Left Behind and relaxed some of their rigid regulations," Vizcaino said. "Unfortunately, these changes came far too late. . . . Washington has had a rigid, top-down mentality that dooms reform to failure."

rlynn@sltrib.com