Child and Education Advocacy: National PTA Congressional Voice for Children Award

Statement

On March 8, 2012 I was proud to receive the National PTA Congressional Voice for Children Award, which is presented annually to two Members of Congress in recognition of outstanding leadership related to child and education advocacy. The award was given in part for my work on two important education bills in the areas of college and career-readiness and Title I formula fairness.

College and Career-readiness: On October 12, 2011, I introduced H.R. 3154, the Education for Tomorrow's Jobs Act, which would provide new flexibility for school districts in order to better align secondary education with career opportunities. The bill encourages the creation of partnerships between schools, local industry, and other community stakeholders, to ensure students obtain both the knowledge and skills to succeed in life. H.R. 3154 recently advanced as part of House Education Committee's Elementary & Secondary Education Reauthorization.

Title I Formula Fairness: H.R. 2485, the All Children Are Equal (ACE) Act, a bill I introduced on July 12, 2011 would correct a flaw in the current Title I funding formula, which has the perverse effect of diverting funding from higher poverty school districts to more populous school districts, regardless of the actual poverty rates.

Source