Education Reform
Senator Franken believes that one of the fundamental problems with the way the No Child Left Behind law works now is that Minnesota's teachers have to spend much of their time teaching to the test - leaving little time to teach subjects such as music and art and skills such as critical thinking and creativity. Senator Franken wants to make sure that Minnesota's kids get the best education possible. As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, he is active in the Committee's efforts to improve our education laws, including No Child Left Behind.
Senator Franken believes that good principals are key are to a successful education system. He introduced the School Principal Recruitment and Training Act with Senator Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) to make sure that our schools have strong leaders so that our kids can succeed.
He also believes it's important to address the needs of students who face the greatest challenges, and are most at risk. Senator Franken is working to provide funding for neglected Indian schools across the state, to help more low-income children get school meals, and to ensure that foster children, who often have very little stability in their lives, are not forced to move from school to school as they try to find a home.
