Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

One of the great promises of our democracy is the idea that everyone can have access to a good education: Children living in poverty or children with special needs should be able to receive a quality education and have the chance to develop to their fullest potential.

In too many ways, we still strive to make this promise a reality. Improving public education was the organizing principle of my 1997 gubernatorial run and the focal point of my volunteer work in the years afterward, through the D.C. Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and Jobs for Virginia Graduates, a high school dropout prevention program. It remains a commitment, and an active part of my congressional work.

I support major federal initiatives and programs for public education, including Title I, which helps school systems with large percentages of low-income students, and IDEA, which supports programs and provides resources for students with special needs. The school lunch and breakfast program provides food for over 30 million students daily, which is a critical piece of our nation's anti-poverty work.

I am pushing to strengthen the Office of Civil Rights within the Department of Education, especially as it pertains to sexual assault prevention on college campuses. I support initiatives to support teachers and other public school personnel, who I believe are still largely underappreciated and underpaid.

I am disturbed by the amount of student loan debt, and how it is hampering the lives of tens of millions of young Americans. I am behind numerous initiatives, such as student loan refinancing efforts and expanding access to Pell Grants, to alleviate this.

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