A quality education is the most important gift we can give our children. It is the key to a prosperous future and a strong economy. And that's why guaranteeing an excellent education that gives every student a chance to succeed has been one of my priorities for as long as I've been in public service. I know that by working together, we can ensure our young people are leaving school prepared to secure good-paying jobs in the global economy, particularly growing fields like the burgeoning clean energy economy.

Early Childhood Education

Studies have shown that children who start school behind their peers on basic skills are more likely to lag behind throughout the rest of their education. It's critical that we work to ensure every student has the chance to succeed by giving them the tools they need to enter school ready to learn. That is why I support high-quality, comprehensive early-childhood programs like Head Start, which has a proven record of helping with cognitive development, socialization, and long-term performance. Head Start currently serves over 900,000 children and families annually.

Wellness Education

Another important aspect of our educational system is teaching our nation's students the importance of wellness and physical activity in their everyday lives. I'm proud that Colorado has one of the lowest childhood obesity rates in the country. But there is still work to be done to help promote a healthy lifestyle. A comprehensive education should include various types of physical and wellness education courses in our K-12 schools.

Elementary and Secondary Education

For students to thrive and grow into the next generation of global leaders, they need a safe learning environment, smaller class sizes, and the necessary tools for learning, such as up-to-date books and state-of-the-art technology. They also need the highest-quality teachers - but too often, a teacher's pay doesn't match the important job he or she does. And as a result, school districts increasingly are finding it difficult to recruit talented teachers. We must find a way to improve teachers' pay, and provide professional development opportunities that help teachers and administrators to continue to excel. In 2001, the bipartisan No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act was enacted. While the intent of the law was to enhance student performance and increase accountability, lack of funding and flexibility for the states and local school districts have resulted in unfunded mandates and rigid federal rules. The U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives are expected to take actions to reauthorize NCLB during this congressional session, and I will be a strong voice for Colorado's parents, students, teachers, and administrators throughout the process.

Higher Education

In talking to students and leaders at Colorado's institutions of higher learning - and as the father of two college students - I am acutely aware of the difficulties facing the higher education system in this country. We not only need to prepare our students so they can succeed once they are in college, we need to ensure that every student who wishes to pursue a college education has the ability to do so. That is why I have supported the College Cost Reduction Act, which was signed into law in 2007. This important new law has helped lower interest rates on student loans and invested nearly $12 billion in additional Pell Grants for students across the United States.

In February of 2009, I also voted for the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which made significant investments in our nation's students and our educational system in general. The bill boosted Pell grant amounts by $500 to $5,350 per student, serving an estimated 7 million low- and moderate-income young people and adults. The Act also provided "state stabilization funds" to help states and local governments prevent drastic cuts in essential services, including K-12 and higher education, of which Colorado is expected to receive over $760 million. This essential funding allowed Coloradans to continue to afford the job training and higher education they need to prepare for the global economy, and prevented thousands of teachers, schools and students from facing drastic funding cuts during the economic downturn.

Community Colleges

Coloradans, like families across the country, are struggling to make ends meet as we continue to weather this economic recession. Community colleges are seeing enrollment surges as many workers are returning to school to learn new skills and bolster existing ones. An important way we will rebuild our economy is through investments in community colleges and technical institutions so that people of all ages can find and retain jobs. It is especially important that our students have access to programs where they can learn skills in science, mathematics, engineering, and computer programming. In the months and years ahead, it will be one of my priorities in the U.S. Senate to ensure the federal government fulfills its responsibility to be a good partner with state and local governments as we work to prepare students to enter the workplace and compete in the global economy.

Student Loans

More and more frequently, Colorado students are not only graduating with a degree, they find themselves having to pay for a mortgage-sized loan without owning a house. We need to find ways to not only improve our higher education system, but also finance young Americans' access to education. In the past, the federal government issued student loans through the U.S. Department of Education and subsidized other private student loans issued by banks. Taxpayers then protected the banks, which issued those private loans, in the event that borrowers defaulted on their loans. It was a win-win for the banks, but the concept of the federal government both subsidizing lenders and then simultaneously protecting them against default was widely viewed as a waste of taxpayer money.

In March 2010, Congress passed and President Obama signed into law reforms that eliminated these lender subsidies and redirected the savings to community college investments and additional Pell Grants to students. These reforms not only will save taxpayer dollars, they will increase the maximum Pell Grant award from $5,550 in 2010 to $5,975 by 2017 - student aid that does not need to be repaid. It is estimated that these reforms will mean an additional $410 million for Colorado students and schools over the next 10 years. These critical investments will make education more affordable for Colorado students, and it will help ensure they are prepared for good-paying jobs in the global marketplace.