Education

Today’s children, and the future prosperity of our country, requires an education system better suited to meet the needs of the 21^st century.   In order to remain competitive in a global economy, and to create and attract high-level jobs, we must make serious investments in our education system. 

The research is clear. We know what works. I want to go to Washington to make it happen. 

My plan for education will:  

• Enact a Robust 0-5 Agenda: The first years of a child’s life are crucial in building the foundation for their future education and life success.  We must no longer neglect this critical period.

• More High Quality Teachers:  More than any other factor in education, it is teacher-quality that makes the difference between success and failure.  We’ve got to recruit, train, and reward high-quality teachers.

• Reform No Child Left Behind: Measurement is good, but too narrow an emphasis on test scores hurts students.  It’s important to hold failing schools accountable, but we must also offer resources needed for improvement.

• Support Innovation: Charters, new teacher compensation and incentive frameworks, public-private partnerships, technology in the classroom, and other innovative strategies must be implemented to push our education system forward.

• Make Higher Education Affordable to All Americans: A college degree is increasingly required for entry into the middle-class, but with skyrocketing tuition fewer and fewer Americans can support it. We’ve got to get the cost of higher education under control and expand access to student loans.

• Secure Funding for Job Retraining and Vocational and Community Colleges:  The often brutally competitive global economy has displaced many workers in North Carolina and around the country.  As a result, we must improve and invest in job retraining programs for workers whose jobs and industries are both outsourced and increasingly scarce.  We should also offer refundable tax credits to low and middle-income American adults who return to a vocational school or community college.  Job retraining and adult education will provide workers with the skills they need to compete in the 21^st century economy.