Issue Position: Educating Tomorrow's Leaders

Issue Position

As a father of four, I believe in a locally-administered and locally-crafted education policy - one that values the input of professional educators and addresses the needs of our teachers, administrators, parents, and, above all, our children. After all, these are the people who know best the needs of our schools and our communities. Our children's future will be brighter and their achievements far greater, if we dedicate ourselves to building strong schools from the ground up rather than through a Washington-based bureaucratic maze.

This year, I was proud to support the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act, a bill that will promote accessibility and accountability among colleges while simplifying the financial aid process. However, other challenges remain in our primary and secondary education. For example, the one-size-fits-all approach of "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) has failed to provide the flexibility necessary to ensure it is working for all of South Carolina's schools. The goal of accountability at the heart of NCLB is a laudable pursuit. But just as no two students are the same, no two schools face the exact same challenges or serve the same communities.

We can address those needs by crafting a policy similar to the plan outlined in the Academic Partnerships Lead Us to Success Act or A-PLUS Act, a bill I have been a strong supporter of, which allows states to design educational programs for their local students while accepting responsibility for providing quality education and still remaining accountable through annual reviews by the federal government. By working together we can ensure accountability and flexibility are equally pursued for the benefit of our teachers and their students.

For the future prosperity and global leadership of the United States, we must ensure our schools have the resources and flexibility to build strong, capable young men and women to be the leaders of tomorrow.

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