(Crossposted from our news blog.)

An unofficial draft of the Democratic National Committee’s 2008 platform promises more student aid, greater support for research, and an end to the politicization of science.

The draft addresses higher education in a section titled “Investing in American Competitiveness” (see Pages 15-16). The document has been posted on several blogs in recent days.

For the most part, the section is vague in its commitments. It promises that Democrats will “work with institutions of higher learning to produce highly skilled graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math disciplines,” and it offers to “partner” with colleges to “translate new ideas into innovative products, processes, and services.” It voices support for “nontraditional learners” pursuing education through online and distance education, and it calls for “reinvigorating” industrial-crafts programs.

But the draft also includes a handful of concrete proposals, all taken from the presumptive nominee Barack Obama’s platforms for education and science. It promises a refundable $4,000 education tax credit in exchange for public service, and it vows to “reward successful community colleges with grants” to train unemployed workers in high-demand occupations and emerging industries. It also promises to simplify the process of applying for federal student aid by allowing families to apply by checking a box on their tax forms.

It promises to double federal funds for basic science research, make the research-and-development tax credit permanent, and lift the ban on the use of federal money for research involving embryonic stem cells that would otherwise have been discarded. It also takes a shot at the Bush administration, saying its “hostility to science has taken a toll.”

“We will end the Bush administration’s war on science, restore scientific integrity, and return to evidence-based decision making,” it reads.