Schwartz: Building a 21st Century Education System Begins with Quality Early Education
Today the House Budget Committee held a hearing with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan to discuss President Obama's Department of Education Fiscal Year 2010 budget. In his first appearance before Congress as Secretary, Duncan reaffirmed the Administration's commitment to educational reform that will give American students the skills they need to compete in the 21st century workforce.
Echoing President Obama's goal for the United States to graduate the highest percentage of college graduates in the world, Sec. Duncan focused his remarks on ensuring students are prepared for college and have the resources to pursue higher education.
Budget Vice Chair, U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz has long been outspoken in her belief that high quality early education is a proven path to increased academic achievement. In past legislative sessions, Schwartz has introduced legislation providing incentives for states to improve and expand their pre-kindergarten programs. In the 111th Congress, Schwartz intends to continue supporting early education initiatives.
"We know that high quality early education works. We have a responsibility to all of our children to ensure that they get the best educational start possible, and I applaud the Administration for recognizing how critical early education is to future educational success," said U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz.
In responding to Schwartz's questioning, Secretary Duncan agreed with Schwartz that high quality early education is "the best investment we can make" for educational reform. Duncan pledged to work collaboratively with other agencies at the local, state, and federal levels to improve both the quality of and access to early education programs. Duncan also recognized that there are, "some very good models in Pennsylvania" for this type of collaboration to achieve high quality."