Education

Education

* Where I stand
* Track Record
* Testimonials

WHERE I STAND

Education for the Twenty-First Century

At one time, American students simply looked across the classroom to see who their competition was. Now, they look across the world to classrooms in India and China. And this is competition they are increasingly losing.

Arizona has now dropped to 49th in the nation in funding for public education. The No Child Left Behind law is seriously underfunded and does not test for the skills that our workers will actually need in a 21st century economy.

A strong America needs strong public schools. In order to compete in our global economy, we need a skilled and specialized workforce that excels in both math and science, and understands how to work alongside, and compete alongside, workers from other countries. While local communities must maintain control of our schools, we also need a national commitment to strengthening public education. Sadly, we're getting neither from Washington today.

We should focus on strategies that have been tested and we know work:

* all-day kindergarten nationwide.

* increased resources for early-childhood education programs.

* smaller class sizes by hiring 100,000 new teachers across our nation.

* teacher training and incentives to bring the best skills into the classroom.

* investment in job skills for the 21st-century economy, focusing on math, science and technology.

* computer access for every public school student.

We need a call to action to make our public education system the best in the world. I want the United States to continue to lead in math, engineering, and technology so that we can properly prepare our children for the future.

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http://www.giffordsforcongress.com/issues/education/