Education is a hot topic in the 2012 presidential election. Debates between President Obama and Governor Romney are ongoing and quite heated as the two butt heads on the issue. But before the candidates can implement their respective strategies, they’ll be sharing their views on the U.S. education system at the Education Nation Summit next week.

With a growing number of students and families concerned about America’s future educational system, it’s an issue on high alert for most voters. The annual Education Nation Summit will be held September 23-25 at The New York Public Library.

As reported by MediaBistro, Condoleeza Rice and former Florida Governor Jeb Bush will take part in the event, during which a taped interview with President Obama will be presented. The president and his opponent Mitt Romney will also appear in person later in the summit to discuss their views on education and answer questions from summit attendees.

Both presidential candidates will cover such issues as unemployment, educational challenges, and ever-rising college tuition costs.

The opening early session of the Education Summit will begin with NBC News correspondent Tom Brokaw, and followed by an address from New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. Read the rest of this entry »

Rick Santorum is an American politician and lawyer. He has served in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. Recently, he announced plans to run for the Republican candidate for President of the United States in the 2012 election. EDUinReview will now take a look at Santorum’s education background.

Santorum was born on May 10, 1958, in Winchester, Virginia. His parents are Aldo and Catherine Santorum. Both of Santorum parents worked at the Veteran’s Administration Hospital in Butler, Pennsylvania. Santorum graduated from  Carmel High School in Mundlein, Illinois, after his father’s career forced the family to relocate.

In 1980, Santorum graduated from Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a B.A. in political science; he was also an active member of the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity. The next year he earned his MBA from the University of Pittsburgh. Santorum then attended the Dickinson School of Law, where he earned a Juris Doctor. After law school, he joined the Kirkpatrick & Lockhart law firm. He worked in private practice until 1990, when he was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

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Michele Bachmann is an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives. She represents the state of Minnesota and was previously a member of the Minnesota State Senate. She is currently in the public eye for being one of the contenders for the 2012 Republican nominee for President of the USA. EDUinReview will now take a look at her education background.

Bachmann was born on April 6, 1956, in Waterloo, Iowa, but the family moved to Minnesota when she was young. She was raised by her mother, Jean, after her parents divorced and her father, David, moved to California. When Bachmann was a teenager, her mother remarried and the family grew to include nine children.

Bachmann attended Anoka High School and graduated in 1974. She then moved to Israel and worked on a kibbutz. She then returned from Israel and attended Winona State University, where she earned a B.A. She attended Oral Roberts University‘s law school, where she received a J.D. degree in 1986. Two years later, she received a L.L.M. degree from William & Mary School of Law in tax law.

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So who’s smarter, Democrats or Republicans?

That’s quite the controversial question, of course.  According to a blogger at Watchblog.com, though, it seems that Democrats are more educated than Republicans. Or hey, let me rephrase that.  People in the “blue states” (states that typically vote Democratic) are collectively more educated than people in the “red states” (states that typically vote Republican).

According to Watchblog.com:

• States that voted for Kerry in 2004 had 21 percent more college graduates than states that voted for Bush.
• The states that ranked the lowest for high school and college graduates were all red states.
• Eight out of 10 of the states that ranked the highest for high school college graduates were blue states. (The number one state, by far, is Colorado — technically a red state because it went for Bush by a small margin, but effectively a “purple” state because it’s become so politically mixed.)

Is this a bunch of hooey, or is there something to this?  What do you think?

You can also see the educational background and alma maters of the Republican candidates, John McCain and Sarah Palin, and Democratic candidates, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, to see how they compare.