Improving Our Schools
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Improving Our Schools Born in Japan, Congresswoman Hirono came to this country when she was nearly eight years old not speaking any English. With the support of her public school teachers and her mother’s high expectations, Congresswoman Hirono developed a love of reading and learning. This education enabled her to move from her beginnings as a first-generation immigrant in a single-parent household, to college and law school, to serving in Hawaii’s legislature and as lieutenant governor, to her role today as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. But, she didn’t do it alone. Congresswoman Hirono used work study and loans to help pay for college. She was also able to take out loans to pay for law school. For the next 15 years after earning her law degree, she was still paying off her loans. Education creates opportunities, and that’s why Congresswoman Hirono works to ensure that Hawaii’s students get the quality education they deserve—one that helps students enter college and our workforce fully prepared. Investing in early education, Hawaii’s public and charter schools, making college affordable, and helping all young people get the training they need – that’s how we’ll build a workforce for Hawaii’s future. When Congresswoman Hirono first came to Congress, she fought for a seat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee to make our schools stronger. Her education agenda includes: 1. Championing Quality Early Childhood Education 2. Addressing Hawaii’s unique education needs: Native Hawaiian education, Impact Aid for military families, and Compact Migrants 3. Making College Affordable and Accessible for Hawaii Students and Families 4. Training Hawaii Workers for Today’s Jobs 5. Investing in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) 6. Keeping Hawaii’s Teachers in the Classroom Working For Hawaii
Successfully Advocated for the Creation of the Obama Administration’s Early Learning Challenge: To help strengthen pre-K education across the country, in 2010 Congresswoman Hirono led a bipartisan coalition of more than 100 colleagues to support the creation of an Early Learning Challenge competition. The Obama Administration then directed $500 million in fiscal year 2011 toward this effort. A similar effort led by Congresswoman Hirono in 2012 has yielded an additional $133 million for the competition. The challenge has a similar structure as Congresswoman Hirono’s PRE-K Act, which earned her recognition by the national advocacy organization Pre-K Now as a national “Pre-K Champion.” Encouraging More Top Teachers in Early Education: We need to do everything we can to expand access to quality early education in Hawaii. That starts with having top teachers. To encourage more top undergraduates to enter the field, Congresswoman Hirono successfully had parts of her Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act included in the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007. This legislation expanded the list of public service careers eligible for federal student loan forgiveness to include early educators who work in high-need programs. Helping Native Hawaiian Students Graduate from College: According to research by Kamehameha Schools, only about 46% of Native Hawaiians have received some level of post-high school education, which is lower than the state average of about 61%. The Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions of Higher Education Program, which provides mentoring, peer outreach, and student support to help Native Hawaiian students graduate college, helps beat these statistics. That’s why Congresswoman Hirono secured federal commitments for this program totaling $101 million from 2008 to 2010. In addition, she cosponsored the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which added $15 million in automatic funding for this program each year. Helped Families Afford College: When the financial crisis hit, many students’ dreams of a college education disappeared. To help middle class families hold onto that dream, Congresswoman Hirono supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that provided up to $10,000 in Tuition Tax Credits over four years. Thirty-eight thousand Hawaii families claimed this tax credit in 2011, each saving an average of $2,000 for the year. Helped Cut Student Loan Interest Rates: As someone who paid for college with student loans and work study, Congresswoman Hirono understands firsthand why making college affordable is so important. That’s why she cosponsored the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007 that cut student loan interest rates of subsidized loans in half. Hundreds of dollars are saved each month by 29,000 Hawaii student loan borrowers as a result. On June 29, Congresswoman Hirono proudly supported compromise legislation that prevented rates from doubling this year. Increased Pell Grants for College: A college education shouldn’t be just for those who can afford it. That’s why Congresswoman Hirono cosponsored the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act which today helps more than 17,000 Hawaii students receive Pell grants. Helped Our Community Colleges Expand Workforce Development Training: If we want to have the jobs of the future, we need to make sure our workers have the skills. That’s why Congresswoman Hirono was proud to lend her support to the UH Community College Consortium’s grant application for workforce development. Hawaii won $24.6 million – the largest grant award in the nation. The increased investment came through the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, which Congresswoman Hirono cosponsored. Expanded Community Service Opportunities in Hawaii: In these tough economic times, our communities depend on volunteers to help our friends and families in need. Congresswoman Hirono, a strong champion of community service, helped introduce the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act to expand AmeriCorps programs including VISTA, Senior Corps, Learn and Serve, and Teach for America. The Corporation for National & Community Service, which coordinates these programs, has committed more than $7.4 million in 2011-2012 to help Hawaii’s communities. In 2011, these service learning programs provided 250 homebound seniors with assistance, tutored or mentored more than 480 children with special needs and 10,000 disadvantaged children and youth, and provided almost 416,000 hours of service. Encouraging Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education: Congresswoman Hirono knows that if we want to build the strongest workforce in the world, our kids need to have the strongest education. To make sure our schools are teaching 21st century skills, she introduced legislation that encourages college students majoring in science, technology, engineering, and math to become teachers. She also cosponsored the America COMPETES Reauthorization Act, which President Obama signed into law in 2011. This law strengthens and expands federal STEM research and education programs. Keeping Hawaii’s Teachers in the Classroom: Congresswoman Hirono believes that in tough times, it’s more important than ever to make investments in education. That’s why she supported the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which helped provide more than $59.3 million to Hawaii to save or create more than 2,000 education jobs. She also supported the Education Jobs Fund, which President Obama signed into law in 2010. This provided Hawaii with an additional $40 million that has saved or created more than 360 education jobs. Economists estimate that if all Hawaii students graduated from high school, they would earn nearly $600 million more over their lifetimes. We need to do more to improve high school graduation rates and every measure of educational success. Hawaii’s K-12 system is making improvements. On the 2011 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), also known as “The Nation’s Report Card,” Hawaii was the only state in the nation to improve on all six measures—fourth and eighth grade reading, science, and math. That’s why Congresswoman Hirono believes we can’t quit now. She wants to see Hawaii and our nation have the strongest schools in the world. Because when we have the best educated workforce, we’ll attract the best jobs in the world. And that kind of opportunity is one of the best legacies we can leave our keiki. |
