Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Education has always been at the heart of achievement in America. As someone whose life was transformed by education, I know first hand the importance of giving every child in Nevada and the nation a quality education. I am fighting for an agenda that will help Nevada schools address their unique needs as they work to provide a quality education and improve student achievement. There is no better investment for our nation's future than creating world-class schools.

Improving Education for All Nevadans

Education has always been at the heart of achievement in America, and there is no better investment for our nation's future than providing our children with a quality education. As parents, teachers, administrators, and lawmakers, it is our job to give every child a proper foundation for learning and make sure our schools can prepare them for future success. I will continue to fight for an agenda that will help Nevada schools address their unique needs as they work to provide a quality education and improve student achievement.
Preparing Nevada's Students for the Global Economy

Our position as the world leader in science and technology has been challenged by countries like India and China, and improving education is key to reversing this trend. This year I introduced landmark legislation, which the Congress passed and the President signed, to help the United States regain its competitive edge. The America COMPETES Act, with improvements to math and science education and a strong commitment to research, follows through on my pledge to ensure that Nevada and the nation's students and teachers are prepared to continue leading the world in innovation, research, and technology—well into the future.
Keeping the Door to College Open

As a college degree becomes more important for success, the high cost has put higher education out of reach for too many, and strained the budgets of students and their families. While the average college tuition prices have skyrocketed, federal grant aid has remained stagnant. As a result, students and their parents have had to take on more debt to finance a college education. In Nevada, nearly half of undergraduate students took out loans for college, and the average graduate of a four-year university now owes close to $15,000 in loan debt.

Making college more affordable was one my top legislative priorities this Congress. And I am pleased that Congress passed the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which provides more than $20 billion in new student aid and benefits—the largest increase in student aid since the G.I. Bill. This legislation expands loan forgiveness options, cuts student loan interest rates in half over five years, provides a significant increase to the Pell Grant, and includes a new program to limit student loan payments to 15 percent of their monthly income. I believe the College Cost Reduction and Access Act will help make a college education more affordable for more Nevadans, and I was pleased that President Bush recently signed this important act into law.

Last year the Senate also passed legislation to reauthorize the Higher Education Act of 1965. This legislation includes new provisions to address recent unethical practices in the student loan system, the rising college costs, and to simplify the federal aid application.
A New Direction for No Child Left Behind

More than five years ago, with the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), Congress joined President Bush in ushering in a dramatic reform of our nation's schools. We were hopeful that the increased accountability and performance standards, coupled with a significant increase in the federal investment in education, would raise student achievement levels.

It is clear that significant changes need to be made to NCLB. It has been vastly under funded—by over$55 billion since it was first enacted—accountability measures have proven far too punitive, and states have been given little flexibility in implementing the law's requirements. It has caused good schools to be labeled as failing and puts undue pressure on students and teachers to focus on passing standardized tests instead of engaging in other subjects such as the sciences, history, art, or music.

As Congress looks to reauthorize this law, we must do more than simply improve NCLB. I will work to ensure that a reauthorization builds on the positive aspects of the law, addresses the concerns about its implementation, and provides new approaches that schools will need to ensure that every student succeeds.
Improving and Innovating our Middle and High Schools

In our increasingly global economy, a high school diploma has become the minimum qualification necessary to secure a good job, but far too many students are falling off the path to prosperity. Nevada has one of the highest dropout rates of any state. Each year nearly 11,000 students in Nevada do not graduate with their peers; and high school dropouts from the class of 2006 will cost the state more than $2.8 billion in lost wages, taxes, and productivity over their lifetimes.

To address these issues, I introduced the GRADUATES (Getting Retention and Diplomas Up Among Today's Enrolled Students Act to provide grants to de¬velop innovative approaches to improving student achievement in middle and high schools. This legislation was developed after meetings with Nevada's educators and school leaders to discuss the problems facing our schools. Among the challenges identified were high dropout rates, curriculum that often lacks relevance to students' lives, large and impersonal high schools, and a shortage of guidance counselors. This legislation helps to address these issues by providing $500 million in grants each year to find ways to innovate and modernize our middle and high schools.
Expanding Access to Quality Early Childhood Education

I am also pleased that the Congress recently passed, and the President signed, the Head Start for School Readiness Act to improve and expand the Head Start program, one of the hallmarks of our country's efforts to provide low-income young Americans with a quality education and the opportunity to succeed. The legislation invests in teacher training, increasing accountability and expands income-eligibility limits to allow thousands more children to take advantage of this vital program.

In Nevada, our eight centers range from a Head Start and Early Head Start center in rural Ely, to larger, more urban centers in Reno and Las Vegas, to a Tribal Head Start center in Gardnerville. Each of these programs is unique, because they focus on the needs of children and their families in the communities they serve.

Since its inception, Head Start has benefited more than 20 million children and their families. Unfortunately, this is only a fraction of the number of children that could benefit from Head Start services. In Nevada alone, nearly 10,000 three- and four-year-olds are eligible for Head Start programs. But, last year, only about one quarter of those eligible were able to participate. This legislation opens the doors to Head Start to tens of thousands of children in Nevada and across America.
Attracting High Quality Teachers

Our children deserve great teachers in every classroom. As the fastest-growing state in the nation, Nevada has a tremendous need for additional qualified teachers. To address persistent shortages, I worked to bring Teach for America, a nonprofit group committed to educational equality, and the Clark County School District together. I am pleased to say that, as a result, over 150 new teachers are now teaching in Clark County schools.

I am also pleased that the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, will expand loan forgiveness programs for graduates who spend 10 years in a public service profession, including teaching. One of the reasons many college graduates do not enter the teaching profession is because of high student loan debt. This legislation also establishes TEACH grants in the amount of $4,000 per year for undergraduate students who commit to teaching in high-need school districts.

Additionally, the Senate-passed Higher Education Amendments authorizes funding for Teacher Quality Enhancement Grants to promote high-quality and effective teacher preparation programs for new and prospective teachers.
Fulfilling Our Promise to Students with Disabilities

Improving educational results for children with disabilities is another priority for me. Congress passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Improvement Act in the 108th Congress, which called for the federal government to honor its commitment to the states by providing 40 percent of the funding towards the cost of special education. Despite this commitment, over the past few years, the federal government has not fulfilled this obligation to the states and the approximately 6.5 million children with disabilities. I am hopeful that we can reverse the recent decline in funding and move towards the goal of full funding during the 110th Congress.
Providing Safe, Reliable Transportation for Rural School Children

Many rural school districts do not have safe and reliable school buses. Moreover, they lack the resources to buy new buses or retrofit the ones they have. This leaves children no choice but to ride in outdated, unsafe buses. I was pleased to help bring federal funds in the form of grants and low-interest loans to Nevada to retrofit and replace outdated school buses across the state. And I will continue to work to create a federal program for rural districts to purchase new buses so that they can retire these older buses.
Working with Nevadans

I work in Nevada whenever the Senate is not in session, but it is difficult for me to meet with every person who is involved in the effort to improve our schools. I have had the opportunity to meet with all of Nevada's school superintendents several times, and have met with parents, teachers, and students throughout the states about a number of concerns.
Supporting Nevada's Public Schools and Colleges and Universities

Last year I secured more than $24 million for Nevada's universities and colleges for curriculum development, research activities, technology advances, and outreach programs. I also worked to provide federal funding towards the construction of the University of Nevada Health Sciences System, to expand online courses at Nevada's rapidly-growing community colleges, and for programs to recruit and train math and science teachers.

Also last year, I helped secure nearly $3 million for Nevada's K-12 schools, including funds to expand early education programs in the Washoe County School District, to train additional school principals in the Clark County School District, for rural literacy programs, and to upgrade technology for Nevada's charter schools.

In addition, the America COMPETES Act will strengthen Nevada's schools, universities, and research centers by providing additional funding to ensure students are armed with the critical math and science skills they need to succeed. Specifically, this legislation will double funding for the National Science Foundation within five years, double funding for the office of Science at the Department of Energy in ten years, and increase funding for the Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program, all of which support cutting edge scientific research at Nevada's colleges and universities.

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