Education
As a former school teacher, I am very familiar with the challenges in our classrooms. You will be pleased to know that I support increased flexibility in parent choice, coupled with greater accountability in our school system. I believe our local school boards, not the federal government, are better equipped to assess the needs and the future of our schools and our students.
Education for American children is one of my top priorities. There is no question that education is the key not only to individual opportunity, but also to our competitiveness as a nation. The government’s role should be to encourage families to get the best quality education for their children; however, the government should not make the decisions parents should be making for their children.
I have consistently supported our teachers, who have one of the most important jobs in our nation. I am committed to having safe schools, well educated teachers, and children who are well prepared to be the leaders of tomorrow.
K-12 Education
The United States has made great strides in secondary school participation during the last century. Yet more than 25 percent of first-year high school students do not receive their diploma in four years. By age 24, more than one in 10 still do not have a high school degree or its equivalent. We need to do more to reduce school dropout rates, and help our kids be better prepared to enter the workforce or attend college after they graduate from high school.
Most programs of federal aid to K-12 education are authorized by the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The ESEA was most recently amended and reauthorized by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB).
Debates over reauthorization of the ESEA are likely to focus on the following overarching issues: (1) What has been the impact of the substantial expansion of standards-based assessments of pupil achievement required under the ESEA, and should these requirements be expanded further to include additional subjects and/or grade levels? (2) Are adequate yearly progress (AYP) requirements appropriately focused on improving education for disadvantaged pupil groups and identifying low-performing schools? (3) Have the program improvements, corrective actions, and restructuring required under the ESEA for schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) that fail to meet AYP standards for two consecutive years or more been effectively implemented, and have they significantly improved achievement levels among pupils in the affected schools? (4) Will states meet the requirement that all public school teachers (and many paraprofessionals) be "highly qualified" and that well-qualified teachers are equitably distributed across schools and LEAs? (5) Should ESEA programs be funded at levels closer to the maximum authorized amounts, and at what levels, if any, should authorizations be set for years beyond FY2008? (6) Should the ESEA place greater emphasis on enhancing the nation's international competitiveness in science, mathematics, and foreign language achievement? (7) The NCLB, with its numerous new or substantially expanded requirements for participating states and LEAs, initiated a major increase in federal involvement in basic aspects of public K-12 education. Should the active federal role in K-12 education embodied in the NCLB be maintained?
If you are a teacher, a parent, or a student with suggestions on how Congress can improve K-12 education and the No Child Left Behind Act please contact me at http://kaygranger.house.gov, or call my office at 202-225-5071. I welcome your comments and suggestions.
Higher Education
The rising cost of attending U.S. colleges and universities is a growing concern, as most Americans believe that college is out of financial reach for qualified students. College tuition and fees have been rising more rapidly than household income over the past two decades. In 2005-2006, the average price charged for tuition, fees, room, and board at four-year public and private institutions was $17,447 -- a 577 percent increase from 30 years ago.
I was pleased to support the College Opportunity and Affordability Act (H.R.4137), which was the first comprehensive renewal of the Higher Education Act in a decade. The bill increases the amount of information that schools and lenders must provide students and creates a "higher education price index" to allow parents and students to compare tuition increases over time. The bill also increases Federal financial aid available to students, and includes new regulations for private student loans, including restrictions on potential kickbacks to higher education institutions that might advertise loans.
One of the provisions I strongly support is one that will simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, also known as the "FAFSA" form. Currently, the FAFSA form is so complicated that it is a barrier to accessing aid for many students and families. Not only does the bill require a reduction in the number of questions on the FAFSA form, it includes provisions that will allow students to estimate financial aid eligibility earlier in the college exploration process.
As Congress continues to consider higher education issues, you can be sure that my top priority will be ensuring that all Americans who want to go to college have the opportunity to do so.
