PAT McCRORY

CHARLOTTE

What he says:

* Lift the cap on charter schools and provide tax incentives for parents who choose to send their children to nonstandard public schools.

* Create a new way of assessing students instead of standardized tests.

* Increase the availability of, and enrollment in, vocational schools.

What he has done:

* Started the Mayor's Mentoring Alliance, which partners adults with children to help them with reading and studying.

* Earned a North Carolina teaching certificate in 1978.

BILL GRAHAM

SALISBURY

What he says:

* Require all lottery profits to go directly to the classroom.

* Raise the drop-out age to 18.

* Institute more early and middle college programs that allow students to obtain marketable skills before they graduate from high school.

What he has done:

* Helped found Salisbury Academy, a private school for children from pre- kindergarten age through eighth grade.

* Taught business law and business math at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College.

ROBERT F. (BOB) ORR

BURNSVILLE

What he says:

* Expand pre-kindergarten programs for at-risk children, and provide greater access for lower- and middle-income families.

* Reform North Carolina's ABC evaluation program by using assessments that help in the learning process, not just at the end of grade.

* Coordinate with the business community and community colleges to provide career education opportunities through vocational programs.

What he has done:

* Taught appellate advocacy and constitutional law at area law schools.

* Coached youth sports.

ELBIE POWERS

ROSEBORO

What he says:

* Cut wasteful spending and excessive salaries.

* Work to create a vocational-tech system.

* Revoke driver's licenses of students who drop out of high school.

What he has done:

* Notes that his wife was a public school teacher for 33 years.

FRED SMITH

CLAYTON

What he says:

* Increase teacher pay to be competitive with the private sector.

* Eliminate the cap on charter schools.

* Support vocational education for students in middle and high schools.

What he has done:

* Started artists in schools program with his wife to help children with art and music.

* Notes that his mother was a teacher and principal, his father was a teacher and coach, and his wife taught for 20 years.

Research and Information Compiled by Reporters Kinea White-Epps, T. Keung Hui, and Sam Wineka, and Researcher Becky Ogburn