Issue Position: Strengthen Education for our Children and Prepare Them for the Jobs of Tomorrow

Issue Position

Public education is my passion, and it is also the key to rebuilding our communities and our economy. While I was raising my family, I was an active community volunteer in education and the arts. I saw firsthand the impact that budget cuts have on our children, and I know the value of small class sizes and well-funded schools. I remain dedicated to fostering a strong public education system from pre-kindergarten through college. As a state legislator, I passed important education legislation, including:

A mandate relief bill that removed unnecessary mandates on teachers and administrators to free up more time for teachers to teach, and less time on paperwork.

Legislation to encourage more educators to work in low-income schools by allowing qualified middle school educators to receive a greater amount of loan forgiveness through an existing federal program.

Legislation to reduce the number of times that students need to retake standardized tests.

Now, as a member of the Education and Workforce Committee, I am working to uphold these same priorities by supporting policies that reform the misguided No Child Left Behind law, allow students to negotiate lower student loan interest rates, and increase work study program options for college students who want to pursue internships that will lead to good job opportunities after graduation.

Action: Strengthen K-12 Education
To ensure a strong public education system, we must significantly reform federal education policy under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. Assessments need to be meaningful for teachers and students, and the results should be used to help, rather than punish, teachers and schools.

Fund education. Funding education must be our top priority. Our children's educational future is their economic future and ours. Education is not a budget item that can be cut when times are tough: now is the time when investing in our schools, community colleges, and universities is critical to economic recovery.

End high-stakes testing and punitive labeling. Educators, more than anyone else, know that students learn in different ways. Overemphasis on standardized testing has led to an increased focus on teaching students to pass tests and too little time for creative, critical thinking.

Assure meaningful assessments and evaluations. We need high standards and meaningful assessments so that educators can identify where and how students need to improve. We must support our teachers with mentoring and constructive evaluations centered on advancing professional development. These assessments and evaluations should be developed with input from educators.

Promote a well-rounded education. To engage students and prepare for the future, students need a well-rounded education that includes art, music, physical education, civics, and world languages. A well-rounded education that focuses on critical thinking will result in a creative and innovative workforce of tomorrow. By funding education and reforming No Child Left Behind, we can work to assure that all students get the well-rounded education they deserve.

Action: Prepare the Workforce of Tomorrow
Link community colleges and workforce training programs to business. We must work with our community colleges and workforce training programs to assure that the education and training they offer are aligned with local needs. As a state legislator, I worked on legislation that connects job seekers to training and certification required to qualify for jobs in sectors like health care and welding, as well as in new sectors like wind power and other clean energy technologies. And now in Congress, I have continued this effort with the introduction of the Workforce Infrastructure for Skilled Employees (WISE) Investment Act to link small businesses with workforce development programs and community colleges to prepare job seekers with the skills they need to find jobs in their communities.

Going forward, our education system needs to evolve along with the economy so that our students are prepared for opportunities that are available in the job market.

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