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The education of our youth is an essential investment in our collective future. Our children represent our future and in order to prepare them for fulfilling lives, we must provide them with a strong academic foundation. Their success, and that of our nation, is dependent on a national commitment to education.
Too often, the federal government has not lived up to its responsibilities to provide students and schools with the funding it has promised. We need to refocus our attention on making the United States a leader in education. Our children need the best schools, the best teachers and the best resources in order to tap into the limitless potential of our youngest generation. Education should be viewed as vital to our economic and, indeed, our national security.
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No Child Left Behind (NCLB)
Rep. Eshoo supported the passage of NCLB. At the time of its creation, NCLB represented a renewed commitment to education, something this country desperately needs. NCLB established tough accountability standards for schools to achieve as well as actions that could be taken should schools repeatedly fail to meet those standards. Since its adoption, NCLB has been underfunded to the tune of $55 billion. Now, some schools are being punished for failing to meet their academic requirements, despite the fact that the federal government has not met its financial ones. This is unfair. To rectify this problem Rep. Eshoo has cosponsored H.R. 363, the Keep Our Promises to Americas Children and Teachers Act. This legislation would end the underfunding of NCLB by ensuring full funding through FY2011. This is critical to helping schools meet the standards we have put before them.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
When Congress passed IDEA in 1975, the federal government required states to provide a free, appropriate public education to students with disabilities and committed to pay 40 percent of the cost of educating students with disabilities. States and localities were to pay the rest. The federal government hasn't come close to fulfilling its obligation and is in fact only providing approximately half of the promised amount today. This shortfall places an onerous financial burden on many local communities who must find alternate resources, such as higher property taxes, to fund special education. To rectify this situation, I'm proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 1107, the Full Funding for IDEA Now Act. This legislation would amend IDEA to ensure that the federal government always meets its obligation to states, localities, students and their families.
Higher Education
In today's economy, a college education is more important than ever. In response, we need to ensure that every person who wants a higher education degree has the opportunity to get one. Unfortunately, tuition fees and other costs associated with college are skyrocketing, making it unattainable for many people. On average, students are graduating with $17,500 in debt because of the costs associated with going to college.
According to a recent report (link) prepared by the College Board, the average cost of tuition continues to rise. This report found the following averages for in-state college tuition:
- Two-year public institution: $2,191 (up 5.4 percent from the previous year).
- Four-year public institution: $5,491 (up 7.1 percent from the previous year).
- Four-year private institution: $21,325 (up 5.9 percent from the previous year).
The recent enactment of the Deficit Reduction Act exacerbates this problem. To plug holes in the federal budget, the law calls for $11.9 billion in "savings" from student loan programs over the next five years by placing higher fees to students and higher interest rates on loans. These changes to student loans move the program in the wrong direction and are among the many reasons Rep. Eshoo opposed this bill.
To make a college education more affordable Rep. Eshoo has cosponsored H.R. 2960, the College Opportunity for All Act. This legislation makes higher education more affordable by addressing several important factors. H.R. 2960:
- Boosts Pell Grants from the current maximum of $4,050 to $11,600 by academic year 2011;
- Eliminates processing fees banks can charge for processing loans;
- Allows students to refinance consolidated loans so they can shop for a more competitive finance rate;
- Provides for loan forgiveness for graduates who choose to work in positions of public service.
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Education for the 21st Century
California's 14th Congressional District is situated in the heart of Silicon Valley and is at the vanguard of the economy of the 21st Century. A recent report of the National Academy and Sciences (NAS) titled, "Rising Above the Gathering Storm", examined America's top needs to remain competitive in the global economy. Improving our education in math, science, and engineering to meet the needs of this economy was at the top of the list. This issue has also been a theme of several other major reports on America's economic future.
Rep. Eshoo has also been a leader in the development of the Innovation Agenda, a plan put forward by House Democrats to ensure America remains competitive in the global economy of the 21st Century. Among the goals of the agenda are to:
- Educate 100,000 new scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in the next four years by proposing a new initiative, working with states, businesses, and universities, to provide scholarships to qualified students who commit to working in the fields of innovation.
- Place a highly qualified teacher in every math and science K-12 classroom by offering upfront tuition assistance to talented undergraduates and by paying competitive salaries to established teachers working in the fields of math and science; institute a "call to action" to professional engineers and scientists, including those who have retired, to join the ranks of our nation's teachers.
- Create a special visa for the best and brightest international doctoral and postdoctoral scholars in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
- Make college tuition tax-deductible for students studying math, science, technology, and engineering.
Rep. Eshoo is also an original cosponsor of H.R. 4434, the 10,000 Teachers, 10 Million Minds Science and Math Scholarship Act, which increases scholarships for educating mathematics and science teachers. The goal of this legislation is to increase, by up to 10,000 per year, the number of elementary and secondary mathematics and science teachers in our nation's schools.
For more information about Rep. Eshoo's commitment to improving America's education in the high-tech fields, read about the Democrat's Innovation Agenda .
Head Start
A solid education begins with a strong foundation and Head Start is the federal program that lays the groundwork for low-income children. Created in 1965, Head Start provides health, education and nutritional information to prepare children for kindergarten. Unfortunately, Head Start currently serves only 60 percent of the children eligible for this program. Rep. Eshoo believes we need to be doing more to expand access of Head Start to all eligible children and will continue to work toward this goal.
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