For those folks who weren't able to watch the debate, or who didn't watch the very end, the candidates talked about kids' issues in the final minutes. Mirroring the theme of Every Child Matters' Homeland Insecurity report, debate moderator Bob Schieffer linked our national security to our failure to do right by our kids. Watch the videos below or read the transcript.

Clip 1: Moderator Bob Schieffer asks about education and its implications for National Security

Clip 2: Mr. Schieffer asks the candidates about the role of the federal government in Education

Transcript:

Schieffer: Let's stop there, because I want to get in a question on education and I'm afraid this is going to have to be our last question, gentlemen.

The question is this: the U.S. spends more per capita than any other country on education. Yet, by every international measurement, in math and science competence, from kindergarten through the 12th grade, we trail most of the countries of the world.

The implications of this are clearly obvious. Some even say it poses a threat to our national security.

Do you feel that way and what do you intend to do about it?

The question to Sen. Obama first.

Obama: This probably has more to do with our economic future than anything and that means it also has a national security implication, because there's never been a nation on earth that saw its economy decline and continued to maintain its primacy as a military power.

So we've got to get our education system right. Now, typically, what's happened is that there's been a debate between more money or reform, and I think we need both.

In some cases, we are going to have to invest. Early childhood education, which closes the achievement gap, so that every child is prepared for school, every dollar we invest in that, we end up getting huge benefits with improved reading scores, reduced dropout rates, reduced delinquency rates.

I think it's going to be critically important for us to recruit a generation of new teachers, an army of new teachers, especially in math and science, give them higher pay, give them more professional development and support in exchange for higher standards and accountability.

And I think it's important for us to make college affordable. Right now, I meet young people all across the country who either have decided not to go to college or if they're going to college, they are taking on $20,000, $30,000, $50,000, $60,000 worth of debt, and it's very difficult for them to go into some fields, like basic research in science, for example, thinking to themselves that they're going to have a mortgage before they even buy a house.

And that's why I've proposed a $4,000 tuition credit, every student, every year, in exchange for some form of community service, whether it's military service, whether it's Peace Corps, whether it's working in a community.

If we do those things, then I believe that we can create a better school system.

But there's one last ingredient that I just want to mention, and that's parents. We can't do it just in the schools. Parents are going to have to show more responsibility. They've got to turn off the TV set, put away the video games, and, finally, start instilling that thirst for knowledge that our students need.

Schieffer: Sen. McCain?

McCain: Well, it's the civil rights issue of the 21st century. There's no doubt that we have achieved equal access to schools in America after a long and difficult and terrible struggle.

But what is the advantage in a low income area of sending a child to a failed school and that being your only choice?

So choice and competition amongst schools is one of the key elements that's already been proven in places in like New Orleans and New York City and other places, where we have charter schools, where we take good teachers and we reward them and promote them.

And we find bad teachers another line of work. And we have to be able to give parents the same choice, frankly, that Sen. Obama and Mrs. Obama had and Cindy and I had to send our kids to the school -- their kids to the school of their choice.

Charter schools aren't the only answer, but they're providing competition. They are providing the kind of competitions that have upgraded both schools -- types of schools.

Now, throwing money at the problem is not the answer. You will find that some of the worst school systems in America get the most money per student.

So I believe that we need to reward these good teachers.

We need to encourage programs such as Teach for America and Troops to Teachers where people, after having served in the military, can go right to teaching and not have to take these examinations which -- or have the certification that some are required in some states.

Look, we must improve education in this country. As far as college education is concerned, we need to make those student loans available. We need to give them a repayment schedule that they can meet. We need to have full student loan program for in-state tuition. And we certainly need to adjust the certain loan eligibility to inflation.

Schieffer: Do you think the federal government should play a larger role in the schools? And I mean, more federal money?

Obama: Well, we have a tradition of local control of the schools and that's a tradition that has served us well. But I do think that it is important for the federal government to step up and help local school districts do some of the things they need to do.

Now we tried to do this under President Bush. He put forward No Child Left Behind. Unfortunately, they left the money behind for No Child Left Behind. And local school districts end up having more of a burden, a bunch of unfunded mandates, the same kind of thing that happened with special education where we did the right thing by saying every school should provide education to kids with special needs, but we never followed through on the promise of funding, and that left local school districts very cash-strapped.

So what I want to do is focus on early childhood education, providing teachers higher salaries in exchange for more support. Sen. McCain and I actually agree on two things that he just mentioned.

Charter schools, I doubled the number of charter schools in Illinois despite some reservations from teachers unions. I think it's important to foster competition inside the public schools.

And we also agree on the need for making sure that if we have bad teachers that they are swiftly -- after given an opportunity to prove themselves, if they can't hack it, then we need to move on because our kids have to have their best future.

Where we disagree is on the idea that we can somehow give out vouchers -- give vouchers as a way of securing the problems in our education system. And I also have to disagree on Sen. McCain's record when it comes to college accessibility and affordability.

Recently his key economic adviser was asked about why he didn't seem to have some specific programs to help young people go to college and the response was, well, you know, we can't give money to every interest group that comes along.

I don't think America's youth are interest groups, I think they're our future. And this is an example of where we are going to have to prioritize. We can't say we're going to do things and then not explain in concrete terms how we're going to pay for it.

And if we're going to do some of the things you mentioned, like lowering loan rates or what have you, somebody has got to pay for it. It's not going to happen on its own.

Schieffer: What about that, Senator?

McCain: Well, sure. I'm sure you're aware, Sen. Obama, of the program in the Washington, D.C., school system where vouchers are provided and there's a certain number, I think it's a thousand and some and some 9,000 parents asked to be eligible for that.

Because they wanted to have the same choice that you and I and Cindy and your wife have had. And that is because they wanted to choose the school that they thought was best for their children.

And we all know the state of the Washington, D.C., school system. That was vouchers. That was voucher, Sen. Obama. And I'm frankly surprised you didn't pay more attention to that example.

Now as far as the No Child Left Behind is concerned, it was a great first beginning in my view. It had its flaws, it had its problems, the first time we had looked at the issue of education in America from a nationwide perspective. And we need to fix a lot of the problems. We need to sit down and reauthorize it.

But, again, spending more money isn't always the answer. I think the Head Start program is a great program. A lot of people, including me, said, look, it's not doing what it should do. By the third grade many times children who were in the Head Start program aren't any better off than the others.

Let's reform it. Let's reform it and fund it. That was, of course, out-of-bounds by the Democrats. We need to reform these programs. We need to have transparency. We need to have rewards. It's a system that cries out for accountability and transparency and the adequate funding.

And I just said to you earlier, town hall meeting after town hall meeting, parents come with kids, children -- precious children who have autism. Sarah Palin knows about that better than most. And we'll find and we'll spend the money, research, to find the cause of autism. And we'll care for these young children. And all Americans will open their wallets and their hearts to do so.

But to have a situation, as you mentioned in our earlier comments, that the most expensive education in the world is in the United States of America also means that it cries out for reform, as well.

And I will support those reforms, and I will fund the ones that are reformed. But I'm not going to continue to throw money at a problem. And I've got to tell you that vouchers, where they are requested and where they are agreed to, are a good and workable system. And it's been proven.

Obama: I'll just make a quick comment about vouchers in D.C. Sen. McCain's absolutely right: The D.C. school system is in terrible shape, and it has been for a very long time. And we've got a wonderful new superintendent there who's working very hard with the young mayor there to try...

McCain: Who supports vouchers.

Obama: ... who initiated -- actually, supports charters.

McCain: She supports vouchers, also.

Obama: But the -- but here's the thing, is that, even if Sen. McCain were to say that vouchers were the way to go -- I disagree with him on this, because the data doesn't show that it actually solves the problem -- the centerpiece of Sen. McCain's education policy is to increase the voucher program in D.C. by 2,000 slots.

That leaves all of you who live in the other 50 states without an education reform policy from Sen. McCain.

So if we are going to be serious about this issue, we've got to have a president who is going to tackle it head-on. And that's what I intend to do as president.

Schieffer: All right.

McCain: Because there's not enough vouchers; therefore, we shouldn't do it, even though it's working. I got it.

Schieffer: All right.

Gentlemen, we have come to the close. Before I ask both of you for your closing statements tonight, I'd like to invite our viewers and listeners to go to MyDebates.org, where you will find this evening's debates and the three that preceded tonight's debate.

Now, for the final statements, by a coin toss, Senator McCain goes first.  

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Comments (4)

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Education Matters
written by Candace, October 19, 2008

My comment is to Melissa, please be more specific on how McCain can lead our children onto the right path? How did he illustrate that in his answer? You stated you believe he understands what is needed for child and parent. What is that, because he did not even know what exceptionality Governor Palin's son has, he has Down Syndrome, not Autism. In fact, McCain stated that funding for those programs should be cut. You stated that you think Obama is out for him not for our nation, where did you hear that? Why do you feel that, because he wants to put money into education and programs that are working? I believe Obama knows how much education "cost," he has two school-age children. He knows how much a free public school education costs. If his children go to private school( which I am no sure if they do), due to the fact that he can afford it, but that definitely would not make him out of touch on the cost of education.

Head Start/Autism
written by Lucia Flores-Delao, October 17, 2008

First of all Head Start prepares children to enter K-grade, not third grade. Children are prepared to get a Head Start to initiate their school education starting in K-grade. Who drops the ball is the school system. They are sent prepared and equipped with their exposure to pre-school in one year or two. In my experience, K teachers thank Head Staff for a well job done when transitioning into the school system, because Head Start children do visit their future elementary school. Head Start's success has been parent involvement(parent working side by side teachers, being mentored, part of parent policy committees, etc), caring teachers, healthy children, family services (let parents know they can succeed, baby steps to get life in gear),pre-school education with appropriate pre-school curriculum and lastly Head Start using the whole community as a resource for parents. In the long run it will help their family and trickle to the community. Head Start does not just work with the child, but the whole family. Now if public schools would continue our efforts, I can see success in our school systems. Taking the whole family as a unit, getting to know parents (even quiet parents), taking that extra effort to really care for the individual student. All students and children would have sucess.

About Autism, maybe Gov. Palin does know about it, but if you were referring to her child, doesn't her baby have Down's.

Head Start works, keep it for children's most neediest. Because eligibility to Head Start are POVERTY GUIDELINE. The poorest of the poor.

Thank you
Lucia Flores-Delao
Head Start Parent and worked for HS for 14 years( and I went the extra mile for my parents and students)

Another idea to make the school system work, is to have programs that empower parents and make parents now they are the main educators of their child. Parents are the first teachers and if parent do not see that, we (teachers) must remind them.

In Head Start we do have accountability, the Federal Government mandantes "Performance Standards" that must take place.

Head Start children were tested at the young age of 4, by tests geared at times to older children, not 4yr olds. By tests devised at different state that did not compare with our demographics. We live in a valley and the examples that a child got tested was "swamp", well in California, we have no swamps, especially in the San joaquin Valley. I can see maybe in Florida having swamps.

But accountability has always been present in Head Start, Nation-wide and per Federal Mandates. Of course, we can always make the program better and it is happening. Every year the federal government issues new mandates. They even wanted to remove the involvement of parents, that did not go so well.

Senator McCain, I hope you can go to a Head Start center, come and visit the Head Start Center, in Fresno, CA.

Education does start from the top and not just for the few but for all. I as parent want my child to go to college and experience everything her country offers has to offer. It should be seen as an investment to the future. Because the fact is, one day we will die and nation must continue. we want the nation's future to be ready, educated and take the challenges that will come, head on.

Receptionist
written by Malisa, October 17, 2008

I am a single parent raising a 11 year old boy who goes to school full-time. I feel that Obama doesn't realize what school really cost parents. I worry everyday hoping that my son gets the right education and I worry for his future. I believe that Sentor McCain will help us and lead our children in the path. I believe he understands what is needed for child and parent. I think Obama is out for him not for our nation.

High School is not enough
written by Swarna Srinivas, October 17, 2008

Somehow in America many think that a High School Diploma is mandatory and getting a college degree is optional. We need to change this mind set if we ever want to compete with the rest of the world and, require and encourage our children to get a minimum 4 year degree in the field of their choice. Instead of a voucher program which helps a few, we should make the public education system great and hence affect all the children of USA. No one says yhis is easy, we adults should take the responsibility and accomplish this task since our children are the insurance for all of us.

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