Education
Since coming to Congress, Scott Peters has prioritized expanding all students’ access to early and higher education, particularly by easing students’ financial burden. He has taken multiple initiatives to make college more affordable, improve early childhood education, strengthen science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM) education, increase access for military and veterans, support teachers, and create dynamic and safe schools.
Scott's Education Plan
Expanding Opportunity and Driving Economic Growth
- Make College Affordable Again ~ Allow students to refinance student loans at lower rates; incentivize employers to partner with recent college graduates to help pay off their loans faster and close the skills gap; increase access to college counseling and financial advising; require schools to present students with a multiyear tuition schedule to help students and families; simplify federal financial aid forms; expand flexibility and restore access to year round Pell Grants; modernize college savings plans; keep rises in college tuition in check; provide students, especially low income and first-generation students, the resources to increase rates of college completion
- Prepare students in STEM & STEAM fields ~ Encourage growth of public-private partnerships to increase STEM opportunities for students; increase the number of women and minorities in STEM fields; make computer science a core academic subject; increase opportunities for students to learn coding and engineering; promote San Diego’s innovative classrooms and expand student and teacher access to internet and technology in the classroom; encourage innovation by adding art and design into programs that target STEM fields
- Invest in Quality Early Childhood Education ~ Expand and increase accountability in Pre-K and Head Start programs; measure the return of investing in early childhood education in federal policy; utilize research findings to update and streamline Head Start Performance Standards to lessen the burden on grantee programs; ensure children have the nutrition to optimize learning
- Ensure Quality Education for Military Connected Students and Veterans ~ Fully fund Impact Aid for San Diego’s and Coronado’s military connected schools; report on the achievement of military connected students; increase access to accurate data about schools and hold schools accountable for violations and poor performance; allow individuals to use benefits to pay for college application fees; provide in-state tuition to veterans on the GI Bill; promote San Diego’s effective student veteran resource centers
- Enable Homeless and Foster Youth to Succeed ~ Require states to use existing data to track the academic progress of homeless and foster children to identify achievement gaps and increase transparency and accountability; promote San Diego’s exceptional comprehensive schools that serve homeless children; prevent mistreatment of minority homeless youth; ensure eligible foster children are able to receive deserved GI benefits; ease the burden for foster and homeless youth to pursue higher education
- Attract and Retain the Highest Quality Teachers ~ Fully fund Title I and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to ensure teachers and students have the resources they need; provide student loan relief to teachers; require high teaching standards; support teachers’ professional development in STEM fields, digital learning, and writing; incentivize those with STEM degrees to become teachers
- Foster Safe and Inclusive Schools ~ Ensure students are safe at school; guarantee schools have effective anti-bullying policies that foster inclusive environments; promote mental health and decrease stigma of mental illness; provide student access to comprehensive health education; facilitate schools to make investments in sustainable facilities
Watch Scott speaking on college student loan affordability here: http://youtu.be/U0Qycpxc2b4
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For information on student financial aid, click here.
More on Education
Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped pass a continuing resolution to fund the federal government through April 2017 that includes $170 million to respond to the Flint water crisis, $872 million for scientific research and other programs in the 21st Century Cures Act, and more than $10.1 billion to support military operations abroad. After the vote, Rep. Peters released the following statement:
Fall is an exciting time for students and families across the country. It is a time to celebrate a new academic year, dream about the future, and embark on the next chapter of their education. Unfortunately, for far too many students, the start of the school year also means adding to the already massive burden of student loan debt.
Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped pass three pieces of legislation that will increase access to quality health care and better coordinate research for Type-II Diabetes and other autoimmune diseases. Rep. Peters is a co-sponsor of a bill passed by the House today to reauthorize Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs that provide support for nursing education programs, nurses, and nursing students. Rep.
Washington, D.C. – Yesterday, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped pass a bipartisan bill to reauthorize and reform the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act and give students the skills they need to enter the workforce and excel in high-quality jobs.
In a critical breakthrough more than three years in the making, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) announced today that the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is considering four options to replace the Continuum of Care formula that determines how federal homelessness funding is allocated.
This week, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) helped pass a number of bipartisan bills that will simplify the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), require colleges to be more transparent about the full cost of attending their institution, and expand access to financial counseling for students and families.
Today, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement on the brutal murder of five police officers in Dallas, Texas and the tragic deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile:
Today, Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) released the following statement to mark ‘Equal Pay Day,’ the date when women’s wages catch up to what men were paid in the previous year. Nationwide, according to the American Association of University Women, women earn only 79 cents to each dollar earned by their male counterparts, and in the 52nd District women earn just 82 cents for every dollar earned by men.
Last week, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) gave an address to University of California San Diego (UCSD) students and faculty as part of a speaker series on college affordability hosted by the UCSD Office of External Affairs. During the speech, Congressman Peters announced that he will release an education plan to expand opportunity and drive economic growth in San Diego and across the country.
