Education
Rhode Island’s schools must have the resources they need to support the healthy and successful development of our children. In order to achieve this, it’s vital that we provide teachers with the tools they need to provide our children with the very best instruction possible including increasing support for better technology in the classrooms, initiatives to rebuild our schools so they are safe and secure 21st century learning environments, and greater community involvement. David believes that we must offer support every step along the way, from cradle to college, so we can ensure that students get the most out of their education. In addition, David is working to make certain that more Rhode Islanders have access to affordable higher education.
Rhode Island’s schools must have the resources they need to support the healthy and successful development of our children. In order to achieve this, it’s vital that we provide teachers with the tools they need to provide our children with the very best instruction possible including increasing support for better technology in the classrooms, initiatives to rebuild our schools so they are safe and secure 21st century learning environments, and greater community involvement. David believes that we must offer support every step along the way, from cradle to college, so we can ensure that students get the most out of their education. In addition, David is working to make certain that more Rhode Islanders have access to affordable higher education.
David urged the U.S. Department of Education to use a portion of the Race to the Top money in the 2011 budget to support an Early Learning Challenge Fund. This competitive grant program will be used to develop high-quality programs for children under five years old to prepare them to enter kindergarten. In October 2011, he led a letter supporting Rhode Island’s grant application, and in December it was announced that the state will receive an award of $50 million. David has also co-sponsored the Success in the Middle Act to provide resources to middle school students most in need. David also joined in urging members of Congress to provide necessary and sustained funding for programs serving students with disabilities and programs that help close the achievement gap between lower-income students and their peers. Given the important role of colleges, universities, research institutions, and hospitals in Rhode Island, David is working to champion Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, and has co-sponsored the STEM Education Innovation Act to ensure our students have the training and tools they need to make our state a leader in innovation and industry.
David also knows that it’s difficult for students to succeed if they do not have a safe, healthy learning environment. That’s why he has cosponsored the Safe Schools Improvement Act and the Bullying Prevention and Intervention Act, which will enhance efforts at the local, state, and federal levels to combat bullying and harassment in elementary and secondary schools.
In Congress, David has fought hard to protect funding for the Pell Grant program which is proudly named for the late Rhode Island Senator Claiborne Pell, and is one of our nations’ most important college financial aid programs, helping more than 9 million students get the higher education and training they need. At the same time, he knows that we must ensure that our education system is preparing young adults for career readiness, which is why he’s worked with education stakeholders across Rhode Island to ensure we are offering more training options to young adults, moving them along on career pathways, and strengthening public-private partnerships so that business and government are working together to build and improve the workforce.