Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Issue Position: Education

Congress will soon be reauthorizing the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and it has been my focus to gather input from teachers, administrators, parents and business leaders in Southern Arizona at educational summits that I held in Tucson and Sierra Vista. More than 300 citizens showed up to share their views about the major problems with how we assess children, especially our English language learners and special education students, and teachers have told me about the constant pressure to "teach to the test."

I agree that we must amend this law; however, we must also recognize the reality of the quality of our education in Arizona. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce recently graded States on their education systems and Arizona received a D in academic achievement and an F in post-secondary and workforce readiness.

Arizona also has the second highest student to teacher ratio in the country and is second to last in per pupil expenditure. These low grades are a sober reminder that we must raise student achievement, close achievement gaps and ensure that every child is taught by highly-qualified teachers. But these goals will only be realized if the benchmarks and accountability process are meaningful and practical. NCLB is drastically under-funded and schools are being asked to meet many new requirements without the support they need to be successful. If we are going to continue to demand that our teachers and schools meet these new standards we must provide the necessary resources, mentoring and professional development they need.

Furthermore, NCLB does not focus on the skills that students must have in a 21st century economy. In order to compete in a global welfare, our school children must be proficient in computer technology and critical thinking. Math and science studies are more also important than ever as our society faces challenges like global warming and the need for renewable energy.

The bottom line is that the state of our education must be improved, irrespective of what happens with No Child Left Behind. We live in a world where our children have to compete with children all over the world, and we must strive for excellence, not mediocrity.

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