Issue Position: Restoring Our Public Education System

Issue Position

As Americans, we have the responsibility to provide a quality and world-class public education to each and every one of our children -- a school that prepares our students for the future with twenty-first century skills; a school that creates a healthy environment where all our children can learn safely and equally and provides encouragement and enthusiasm to our students. Our schools must close the achievement gap, raise the level of success for all our students and provide an equal education to all no matter their income, race, ethnicity or disability status. We must ensure that our teachers and school employees have not only the resources and tools needed to effectively teach our children, but also a quality pay for their hard work. As the next Congressman from Ohio's Third Congressional District, I will work to provide these basic needs and requirements of our public education system.

While the original objectives of the Elementary and the Secondary Education Act, more commonly known as No Child Left Behind, were in good faith and meant to create a national education system where all students had access to high-quality public education, the end product became a weighted-down, overly complex piece of legislation that burdened local school systems with high administration costs and unfunded mandates. As Congress is beginning the process of reauthorizing of this legislation, it is necessary that we re-envision the federal government's role in education. We must reform important aspects of No Child Left behind so that the end result accomplishes its original goals without overburdening our education system and draining the system of all innovation and flexibility in the classroom.

Providing Equal Educational Opportunities for All Children

It is necessary that all students no matter their income, race, ethnicity or disability status have access to a high-quality public education. Congress and the federal government must support increased resource equity, so that all schools receive the same educational opportunities.

Assessing our Schools' Performance

The American public school system needs to move to a value-added assessment model where it measures students, teachers, schools, districts and states not against others but rather against their own growth and improvement. It is necessary that our school accountability programs not only identify the failures of schools but also recognize progress and growth and reward individual successes of a district, its schools and their students. We must support our schools with national grants to strengthen staff through professional growth, lower class sizes and provide extended learning time.

Recruiting and Educating World Class Educators

Teachers and leaders within the school are what make the school great and are one of the determining factors in student success. We must elevate the profession to recruit and educate great teachers. We must recognize the importance of principal leadership in the effectiveness of teachers and overall results of schools. Therefore must work to improve the administrators' leadership skills. I strongly support national grants to strengthen our recruitment, preparation and support of quality and innovative educators and effective principals and leaders. I support an increase in teacher pay to recruit quality educators to the profession. I strongly believe that state and local bargaining for school employees must be respected.

Providing a Well-Rounded Education for the Twenty-First Century

As we move further into the twenty-first century, it is necessary that our students are graduating with the skills necessary to compete in a global economy. Students should leave high school with a strong understanding of the three Rs -- Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, but we must also ensure that they have a complete education. I believe that we must provide grants to schools to improve literacy rates. No child within America graduating from high school should struggle with literacy and it is our obligation to ensure that each child has the ability to read and write. We must also focus on increasing education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). To compete in a global economy where STEM programs are the center of employment, it is necessary that our students are prepared for higher learning in these subjects. Federal grants must be provided to give access to high-quality instruction of STEM. Additionally, students must have a strong understanding of liberal arts to be well-rounded individuals as they leave the public school system. Increased funding and grants to develop new programs or to support existing programs are necessary in the arts, foreign languages, history and civics, financial literacy, environmental education and other subjects.

Creating Community Schools that Improve the Community

Often students most at risk for academic failure are those who live in communities without the resources or ability to support the children in an academic setting. Rather than view a child's academic and educational success in a bubble, we must address factors that are beyond the school and educators' control. Health care, parental involvement and community and social services are important factors in the success of our children. A move to community schools with collaboration between the school and the community is necessary to provide an overall environment to improve our children's educational achievements and must be addressed in high-risk situations even before a child is born. Programs to increase the health of our children from pre-natal care to access to pre-school are necessary to prepare our children for kindergarten and their entire school career. Schools in high-risk communities should provide nutritional meals including breakfast to their students as well as health care opportunities such as medical, dental and counseling services. Community schools should provide a variety of afterschool activities including recreational activities, tutoring and homework assistance. Community educational opportunities should be provided and an inviting environment for all parents should be encouraged. English language instruction, employment counseling and GED programs should be available. Programs to improve parenting skills are imperative. A shift in how we view the school and education system must be made. If we create a community around a school, then we can better prepare our children for academic success.

Making College Affordable for All Our Students

As more students achieve success in elementary and secondary school, it is our responsibility to prepare them for post-secondary educational options and provide access to college is a challenge we must overcome. As more and more young adults graduate from college with increasing debt and educational loans, the US government and Congress must focus on providing avenues for students to afford college. Investing federal dollars in Pell Grants is an important step in providing access to college. The US government must also invest in community colleges which provide a low-cost alternative to a traditional four-year institution for many young adults. By providing resources to community colleges, we will be allowing them to expand curriculum and programs, cover administrative and educational costs and increase enrollment for young adults while keeping the costs of college low.

We must make students who acquire school-based loan debt to afford their payments after graduation. The administration's Expended Income Based Repayment program which allows students to cap their loan repayment at 10 percent of their income is a great first step. We must also look at ways to allow our students to serve our country in a civic capacity post graduation while offering loan forgiveness. Programs such as AmeriCorps should be expanded and encouraged throughout different professions and across the country.

The Price We Must Pay for Our Children

As we move forward in reforming and improving our education system from birth through college, it is necessary that we remember the impact of federal legislation on states, localities, schools, teachers and students. Unfunded mandates must be a thing of the past. Programs that improve our society and better educate our children are an investment that we must make at the federal, state and local levels. The cost of these programs is a necessary part of the process. I pledge as the next Congressman representing Ohio's Third Congressional District to not only support necessary educational programs with a vote but also with the funding necessary to achieve success.
It is our responsibility as a people to take action and improve each school and each child's education throughout the country in a way that individually works for them. As our Congressman, I will strive to provide a better world for future generations with a quality public education system.

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