Brad Ellsworth | CONGRESSMAN FOR THE 8TH DISTRICT OF INDIANA

Education

Indiana's most important resource is our children. We must invest in their education - from preschool through college - and ensure each has an equal chance to succeed with adequate resources and highly-qualified teachers in every school.

Strengthening Our Public Schools
For the last several years, the government has not given educators the resources they need to meet the standards it set. This gap has only worked to limit the ability of hardworking teachers to do their jobs and good students to succeed. Without adequate funding, many Hoosier school districts have been unable to reduce the size of their classes, attract the brightest new teachers in the hardest to staff schools, and provide the equipment required to train Hoosier children for the 21st Century economy. Congress must keep the promises we made to schools, teachers, parents, and children by providing local school districts with the funds they need to meet our standards.

While funding is important, all the money in the world won't solve every problem facing our schools as a result of ill-conceived sections of the original No Child Left Behind Act. Standards are important to ensuring that our youth get the best education possible, but Congress must use more robust and effective measures to ensure accountability. No single test should be the judge of a student, a teacher, or a school. That's why I will continue to work to make sure assessments are based on multiple measures, such as state writing, history, or government tests; graduation rates; dropout rates; Advanced Placement (AP) test completion rates; college enrollment rates; and other indicators of a quality education.

College Affordability
America's future economic prosperity depends on the education level of our workforce. Over the course of a lifetime, a worker with a college degree will earn nearly $1 million more than those with only a high school diploma. Unfortunately, the rising cost of a college education is preventing many talented Hoosiers from reaching their full potential.

Today's graduates face significant financial hurdles as they enter the workforce. That's why I was proud to support the College Cost Reduction Act, the single largest investment in college financial aid since the "GI Bill."

The bill cuts the interest rate on subsidized student loans in half -- from 6.8% to 3.4% -- over the next five years and saves Hoosier students and their parents thousands of dollars. The average Hoosier student has a $12,967 student loan debt when they join the workforce. By cutting the interest rate in half, these students will save between $2,140 and $4,140 over the life of their loans; a significant savings.

In addition, it expands and strengthens the Federal Pell Grant program, which provides need-based college grants to millions of American students every year. Best of all, the bill accomplishes these goals without increasing federal spending. Instead, it saves the taxpayers money through reductions in unnecessary taxpayer-funded subsidies to college loan lenders.

I will continue to look for common sense ways to make college more affordable for Hoosiers.