Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren both agree that more needs to be done to improve public education in the United States and make college more affordable for middle class families. But the two opponents disagree over the best policies to make these improvements.

—HIGHER EDUCATION:

Brown said he believes parents and students should be informed on where a college or university spends its money, including some faculty pay. In Congress he has introduced legislation requiring nonprofit colleges and universities to post tax forms that detail this information on their websites. Brown said greater transparency will make colleges more competitive with each other and lead to lower tuition costs.

Warren supports greater investments in public colleges and universities, advanced technical training programs and grant programs.

—LOANS:

Brown supports allowing students to refinance college loans for lower market rates. In June he voted in favor of student loan rate extension legislation included in a transportation bill.

Warren said she believes student loans should be forgiven for those who serve their communities and that the country needs to get serious about strengthening grant programs. She also helped the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau create a fact-sheet and services to help students understand their student loan options.

—TEACHERS:

Brown supports teacher evaluations based on student test scores. He has co-sponsored legislation to base federal education funding on student achievement-based teacher evaluations.

Warren said she believes in investing in teachers by working collaboratively with them. She supports teacher evaluations that are based on local conditions and established through collaborations with students, parents and teachers.

—PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

Brown supports a variety of choices in public school education, including charter schools and scholarship programs that allow disadvantaged kids to attend private schools. He also said he believes No Child Left Behind should be amended so that high-performing states get more flexibility with Common Core standards and less federal government intervention under the law.