Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Did you know?

* The cost of a college education has risen 40 percent in the last five years. In California, college students graduate with an average of $17,270 in debt. [www.projectstudentdebt.org, accessed 2/25/08]

* Every year, 200,000 capable young adults who are accepted into college decide not to attend because of the cost. [Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations]

* Since implementing No Child Left Behind, over 70 billion dollars originally authorized has been left out of President Bush's budgets resulting in thousands of inadequately-funded schools. [National Education Association, www.nea.org, accessed 2/25/08]

* In 2005, 540,382 public school students dropped out of high school. California was one of three states with the highest number of dropouts, with more than 43,000 students failing to graduate. [National Center for Education Statistics, December 2007]

* About one in 10 middle-income children repeat a grade or fail to complete high school. [National Institute for Early Education Research, 8/9/07]

What I Believe:

* No child who wants to go to college should be denied the opportunity because of financial restraints. The College Cost Reduction and Access Act passed by Congress last year was a step in the right direction. I will fight to continue making college more affordable by increasing need-based aid and lowering interest rates. In the California legislature, I led the fight for accountability in requiring people who have become successful in their profession to pay off their student loans so others could benefit from the same opportunities.

* No Child Left Behind must be reformed. It is a program that has been detrimental to our education system over the past seven years. The reliance on standardized testing has resulted in too many teachers simply teaching to the test. As the mother of a 14-year-old in the public school system, I've witnessed the effects this policy has had on our children. We need to stop punishing schools that are struggling and start helping them by supporting educators in implementing programs that improve student learning and reward success.

* We need to level the playing field for our children. Class size must to be lowered to a manageable 15 students per teacher in early childhood education classrooms. Multiple studies have demonstrated the benefits of pre-kindergarten programs both in educational achievement and personal success. In Congress, I will fight to ensure that states are given the support they need to implement early childhood education for all students.

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