By Jacob Rosenberg
BOONE, IOWA —- Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum discussed his plans for national education reform today in front of a packed Pizza Ranch in Boone, Iowa.
Santorum, who, as a Senator from Pennsylvania, voted in favor of former President George W. Bush’s ‘No Child Left Behind’ law, told the crowd that he regrets his decision to do so.
“It is a mistake I made…I should have known better,” he said.
When asked how he’d go about fixing the current system, Santorum replied that he’d give more responsibility to families.
The question about education was posed to Santorum by high school senior and Ames resident Meredith Lehmann. She attended today’s event with her mother, Anne, who will be caucusing tomorrow for Santorum.
As a young person, Meredith Lehmann said she worries about the future of education and wanted to ask Santorum what improvements he would make to the nation’s education system. She got her wish, as Santorum pointed to her right away when the Q and A session began.
In his response to the teenager’s question Santorum blasted the Obama administration for expanding the Department of Education’s role.
“The federal government has increased, he said. “It’s top-down.”
While he stopped short of endorsing fellow GOP hopeful Rick Perry’s call to abolish the DoE, Santorum argued that parents should play more of a role in the education process than the government.
And though he did lament his past support for NCLB, Santorum said, “I got a record I’m proud of.”
Santorum, who has garnered increased attention in recent days, told the audience he has made over 30 stops to Pizza Ranches throughout the Hawkeye State. The incredible amount of time he has spent campaigning in Iowa may be one of the reasons he is starting to creep up in the polls.
With Iowa set to hold its caucuses tomorrow, the Santorum camp is hoping that their guy is peaking at just the right time.