Elizabeth Dole and Kay Hagan agree that No Child Left Behind is flawed.
But they disagree on what to do about the federal legislation, which measures the educational standards of public schools across the country.
Dole said she would support reauthorization of the bill as long as changes were made. She specifically said that it should hold principals and administrators "to a higher standard" and avoid schools "teaching to the test."
Saying that teachers are her heroes, Dole said she would also ask their opinion.
Hagan said that the legislation lacks "common sense," telling the story of a sixth-grader named Annabelle in Guilford County who suffers from severe cerebral palsy. She said that the student, who has a permanent feeding tube, is tested by the same standards as her peers.
Hagan said that the legislation was well intended, but has been underfunded by $70 billion, and she said she would not vote to reauthorize it.
"Reforms without resources are like schools without teachers," she said. "They just don't work."
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