Providing Access to the Arts and Physical Education
Senator Harkin believes that all children have unique interests and talents and schools should nurture their development. Giving children the opportunity to explore their interests helps keep them engaged in school.
Senator Harkin also feels that the traditional school year fails to prepare our children for the 21st Century economy. It's time to expand the school year to give students adequate time to master reading and math, experience a rich and deep curriculum in a wide-range of subjects and engage in physical activity and arts during the school day. In pursuit of these goals, Senator Harkin:
- Supports re-examining our outdated school calendar to give our kids the skills they need to compete in the 21st century economy.
- Secures funding for Iowa-based groups such as PE4Life, a program developed in Grundy Center, Iowa that assists in the promotion of healthy life style skills.
- Supports Orchestra Iowa, which conducts educational programs in Iowa schools.
- Supports continued federal funding for arts and physical education.