Education

Growing up the daughter of a minister and an educator, I had little choice but to take my education seriously. I am proud to be a product of public education, done the right way with teachers who care, an administration focused on accomplishing the end result of well-educated students and a family committed to excellence and willing to spend the time necessary to help us not only pass a test, but succeed in life.
 
Not everyone is so fortunate and the education of American children may be the most important long-term challenge facing our nation.  Our system rewards mediocrity, accepts failure and punishes excellence in a way that makes it far easier for our children to fail than succeed.  We have little accountability and little incentive for our educators and students to exceed minimum expectations.
 
The system needs a complete overhaul.
 
As your Representative, I am prepared to propose legislation that rewards our excellent public schools, our outstanding teachers and our best and brightest students.  I'll propose legislation that demands accountability at all levels from the administration to the classroom and encourages parents to be active participants in the education of their children.  America needs to invest in a smart bet, and there is no smarter bet than counting on the intelligence, will, perseverance and productivity of our children.
 
The erosion of those qualities can largely be attributed to a child's environment at home and at school.  Congress has a role in the improvement of both.
 
First, we must put a stop to the endless protection of bad teachers, poor habits and a culture that shuns excellence.  Any good teacher can tell you about a teacher or two that must go, but is being protected by the system.  I can think of no better example of a few bad apples spoiling a barrel.  Similarly, any good student will eagerly tell you of a teacher that had a positive impact on that child's education and life.  The time has come for Congress to start practicing what it preaches.  It is time for us to begin rewarding the good and punishing the bad.
 
We must put a stop to promoting students to subject levels and grades that match their ages instead of their abilities.  We need to get beyond the myopic view of schools and televisions as our national babysitters and begin a cultural shift to an educational process designed to help not just a few, but all of our students.  Whether remedial or advanced, all of our children deserve the opportunity to maximize their potential.
 
Parents are the foundation of a child’s education and our teachers provide the tools and resources that they need to build, to grow and to thrive.  Our communities must reward our good teachers with the accolades they earn and the pay that they deserve but we must do it in a responsible manner that improves the entire system, not just a paycheck.
 
I am optimistic about the future of our country and our children and look forward to a day when we can again say that America's educational system is the best in the world and that every one of our young people are provided a world-class education and an unlimited opportunity.