The following can be attributed to NEA President Dennis Van Roekel:

"In the midst of the worst economic crisis America has faced since theGreat Depression, Sen. John McCain tonight showed that he still does notunderstand the needs of working Americans. He still fails to grasp the directlink between a 21st century education system and a robust economy. McCain alsoshowed he cannot relate to educators because he is still proposing a spendingfreeze, effectively creating a No Child Left Behind funding gap of $15 billionand putting a crunch on millions of special education students, low-incomestudents, children living in poverty and the hiring of future teachers.

"Sen. Obama, on the other hand, understands that all roads to economicsecurity and prosperity go through our public schools. That is why he insistseducation remain a priority. Obama's plan calls for making college bothaccessible and affordable, emphasizing math and science to keep Americacompetitive in a changing global economy, and doubling the investment in earlychildhood education."

The National Education Association is the nation's largest professional

organization, representing 3.2 million elementary and secondary teachers,

higher education faculty, education support professionals, school

administrators, retired educators and students preparing to become teachers.

SOURCE National Education Association