Education

For our kids and grandkids to be able to compete for tomorrow’s jobs, they will have to be the most skilled workforce in the world. Strong math and science skills will be the key to the jobs of the future, which is why I’ve introduced legislation to strengthen math and science education in our nation’s schools.

But we can’t stop at K-12 education. We must do more to make higher education more affordable. Tuition and fees at four-year public universities have risen 41 percent since 2001, and interest rates on loans have also increased. I don’t want skyrocketing costs to put a college diploma out of reach of Tennessee students.

Here are some things I’ve done to ensure our students thrive from kindergarten to college:

• Introduced the America COMPETES Act, which became law and will strengthen math and science education at elementary and secondary schools;

• Voted for the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, a new law that will halve student loan interest rates;

• Co-sponsored the PALS act to improve high school labs so students are exposed to interesting, hands-on science lessons;

• Nominated hundreds of Middle Tennessee’s most talented students to attend the U.S. service academies.