Issue Position: Improving K-12 Education Through School Choice
Issue Position
America's public education system is holding us back in the 21st Century. For millions of disadvantaged American children, the system is simply a disaster. For millions of others, American schools aren't nearly as good as they could be. Much of the current system is outdated, it's denying opportunity to those who need it most, and it's holding back our economy.
A quality education is more important than ever, because the jobs of tomorrow will require more education and skills than ever. We need to allow charter schools and other innovative schools to flourish, and the key to that is empowering parents. Parents should be the ultimate decision makers on where their children go to school. Promoting school choice will provide opportunity to poorer communities, help special needs children, and raise quality across the system.
In the Senate, Marco has . . .
Promoted Local Control by:
* Supporting bills to give states flexibility and autonomy in their education plans
* Opposing the Obama administration's use of waivers to force Obama-preferred policies onto the states
* Pushing legislation to block the use of new waivers not authorized by Congress.
Boosted School Choice by supporting legislation to:
* Create school-choice tax credits
* Increase the availability of charter schools,
* Expand the portability of school funding for low-income children, military children, and special-needs children
As President, Marco will:
Institute School Choice Reforms by:
* Creating a national school choice scholarship program
* Ensuring parents have the ability to send their children to school that best suits their educational needs
Get the Federal Government out of K-12 Decision-Making by:
* Prohibiting federal mandates on curriculum or standards for states and local educational agencies
* Protecting student privacy from misuse by third-party vendors or other non-education related entities
Support Innovation in K-12 Education by:
* Supporting virtual learning, home schooling, and blended learning opportunities for K-12 education
* Promoting better learning opportunities for students with disabilities
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