Kennedy Issues Report on State of Education in Massachusetts

KENNEDY ISSUES REPORT ON STATE OF EDUCATION IN MASSACHUSETTS

Massachusetts- Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy released a report detailing the state of education in Massachusetts and highlighting federal education funding for the Commonwealth over the past year. The report, called "Ready to Learn, Ready to Teach and Ready to Succeed," was developed by Senator Kennedy and provides important information for parents, schools, and communities on education in the Commonwealth.

Through the various federal programs encompassed in the report, the students--and families--of Massachusetts are given educational opportunities to open doors of opportunity and compete in today's global economy.

Senator Kennedy said, "If our nation is to succeed in this global economy, our students, teachers, schools, and families need real support--not broken promises--to help them achieve their maximum potential."

There are many highly successful federal initiatives in place to prepare Massachusetts' youngest residents for school and for a lifetime of learning. Head Start, Even Start and Reading First are federal programs that focus on developing young students' early literacy, ability with numbers, and social skills. Nearly 500,000 Massachusetts adults and children participate in Even Start, a literacy program that teaches young students and their parents to read at the same time, yet under President Bush's FY 2006 education budget, Even Start funding is eliminated. Massachusetts ranks 6th in the nation in participation for six year olds in Head Start programs and 465,000 adults and children participate in Even Start, a literacy program that teaches young students and their parents to read at the same time. Under President Bush's FY 2006 budget, Even Start funding is eliminated.

The report outlines the ever growing challenges faced by teachers serving on the frontlines of our schools every day. Many schools across the country already face teacher shortages, but the problem will only worsen over the next ten years with two million new teachers needed to grow with the increasing student population. With a third of all teachers leaving the field within the first three years of teaching, Senator Kennedy has proposed legislation that would reward students who become teachers and serve in low-income schools and those who teach math, science or special education. The Teach Excellence for All Children Act of 2005 (TEACH) would provide loan repayment assistance and up-front tuition assistance for future teachers.

Senator Kennedy has also focused his work on enabling high school graduates to afford a college education, including securing more federal funding for need-based student aid. One of the biggest barriers to college is the skyrocketing cost. It's estimated that nationally, each year, at least 400,000 college-ready students will not attend a four-year college because they cannot afford to do so. For students who do attend college, the costs have never been greater. Students face an average of $5,800 in unmet financial burden-even after their grants, their loans, and their part-time work. Senator Kennedy has a proposal, called the Student Aid Reward Act, which would reform the federal student loan program and direct billions of dollars in savings from that reform into increased student aid.

Students who graduate from high school and join the workforce look to further their education as working adults in order to stay competitive in the workplace. He believes that the federal funds that support these post-secondary programs must be flexible and adequate to meet these changing educational needs. Many highly successful grant programs in Massachusetts such as GEAR UP and TRIO provide college awareness opportunities, counseling, tutoring, and other supports so that low income and first generation students can apply to, attend and finish college. Senator Kennedy has fought in the United States Senate to ensure that these programs continue to receive the funding that's necessary to sustain these competitive grants. An amendment, sponsored by Kennedy during the budget debate this year would have restored 5.4 billion dollars to TRIO and GEAR UP. The amendment was stripped by the Republican leadership. Under the Bush administration, numerous education initiatives have been slashed or zeroed out in the budget.

The report shows that Massachusetts received over $658 million in programs to help kids enter school ready to learn, over $110 million in programs to provide teachers with supports they need to enter the classroom ready to teach, and $328 million in programs to help graduates be ready to succeed.

http://kennedy.senate.gov/~kennedy/statements/05/08/2005823C02.html