Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Historically, Minnesota has always ranked near the top in education outcomes for our students. Our students read better, do math better and think better than children in other states because we have taken the time to make sure that they are prepared for their future. Recently, however, our position has been slipping. We need to spend more time and energy investing in our children's education so that we can gain back the ground we have lost.

When elected, I will work to maintain our public school system so that our children can have the same quality education that I had when I was a child. I believe that a strong public school system is the key to economic competitiveness and we can not kick the can down the road any longer. Our children are our future and the time to invest in the future is now.

E-12

Expanding early childhood education is the most fiscally responsible choice we can make. Studies show that the 50% students who enter kindergarten unprepared are more likely to drop out of high school, more likely to not attend college and more likely to be arrested for a violent crime.

Once they are in school, it's imperative that they succeed together. We've seen the achievement gap between white and minority students grow and it's time to close that gap. We need to release our teachers from the yokes of standardized testing so they can spend more time teaching our students, rather than focusing on arbitrary statistics.

We also need to support our teachers better. Half of all new teachers leave the profession within their first three years, reducing our schools capacities for institutional knowledge. We need to make sure that the teachers coming out of our colleges are prepared for their careers and that veteran teachers who come to Minnesota can find a place in their ranks.

Higher Ed

Education need not stop at high school. Affordable higher education should be available to all students who pursue it, whether their choice is a vocational school, a community college, or a four year liberal arts program. How can students succeed when rising costs force them to choose between food and course books or rent and tuition? As Vice Chair of the Higher Education Committee in the MN House, I helped to usher in the first statewide tuition freeze for the University of Minnesota and Minnesota State College systems so students wouldn't have to make that choice.

In Minnesota, we should fully support our colleges and universities, embracing them as the forceful economic engines that they are. We can do this by supporting programs that pair students with work opportunities, provide incentives for graduates to reinvest in Minnesota after their education is finished, and by funding programs to help mid career professionals get the education they need to be competitive in today's economy.

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