Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

The federal government's involvement in education has been ineffective in preparing our students for the 21st century. Education is the key to America's future and it must be one our nation's top priorities so our children are prepared to compete and lead in the global economy.

As a parent of three, I understand how critically important it is for our young people to be prepared to lead our country's future -- and that begins at home. We must do our best to encourage parents to the central point of their child's education. It seems in today's environment, schools are too anti-parent and are offended when parents show up at school and ask questions. For a child's education to be successful, parents must be engaging directly with teachers.

As Chairman of the Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade Subcommittee on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, I've heard from several business leaders in the manufacturing, steel and automotive industries - just to name a few - about how they have multiple jobs available. But because they can't find candidates with the basic skills, they can't fill these job openings. That's why we must continue to look at ways to invest in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) as a core curriculum so that our children have the basic skills they need to enter the workforce.

For those students choosing to pursue a higher education, our focus must be on making college more affordable. High interest rates on student loans are of great concern to me, and that's why earlier this year, I was pleased to support the Smarter Solutions for Students Act. This legislation permanently fixes a law passed in 2007 that will cause rates for student loans jump to nearly 6.8% by tying student loans to the 10-year Treasury note plus 2.5 percent.

But fixing student loans isn't enough. The real problem is the high rate of inflation that is making college too expensive. With one child starting college, the high cost of a college education is something that I understand and Congress must explore how we can make higher education more affordable.

For our youngest students, we need common sense improvements to No Child Left Behind (NCLB). That's why in 2007 I introduced the State and Local Education Flexibility Act to reform how NCLB is implemented. While well intentioned, NCLB has proven to be a failure because it takes away flexibility from state and local school districts. Our nation's public schools, including those here in Nebraska, provide high quality education and the federal government should support and recognize their excellent work with increased flexibility.

Our education system must include accountability methods, so that we can measure both student and teacher achievement. Parents must be empowered along with local administrators and we must ensure that we give children with special needs the appropriate resources.

Every community, every school and every student has different needs at different times. That is why we should give the decision-making power back to parents and local administrators. By encouraging innovation and flexibility in our schools rather than a Washington-centric cookie-cutter approach we can bring about true reform in our educational system.

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