Education
Educating our children for a vibrant tomorrow.
I believe local districts and state governments should have greater flexibility and control over how they run their schools. Regulations from the federal government automatically assume that every state is the same, every school district is the same, every classroom is the same, and every student is the same. This isn’t the case and it’s important for us to allow local and state experts to develop their own standards that recognize the things that make each classroom and each student unique.
The 19th Congressional District is home to a variety of colleges and universities – both public and private four-year institutions, as well as quality community colleges and trade and technical schools. I believe higher education in all its forms has become the cornerstone of the American dream and should be supported and pursued. Research universities in this country have been one of the great advantages Americans have enjoyed and has allowed them to compete in the world economy for the last century.
In the 112th Congress, I was a cosponsor of H.R. 471, the Scholarship for Opportunity and Results Act, which was passed as part of a larger bill. This provision will reinstate the school choice program in Washington, DC. The program was originally in operation from 2004 to 2009 and granted children in low-income families scholarships to attend a private school of their parents’ choice. Students who usde the program’s scholarships had a graduation rate of 91 percent – 30 percent higher than their public school peers.
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