Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Introduction

Equitable access to high-quality education is vital to addressing inequities in our communities and closing persistent opportunity gaps. From early education through continuing and adult education, an affordable, quality education system accessible to all residents helps reduce poverty, improve public health, and reduce negative outcomes like addiction and incarceration.

Unfortunately, educational access and outcomes remain stratified based on race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Earlier this month, the Boston Globe reported that Boston's more affluent neighborhoods "have a disproportionate share of high-quality schools, while" neighborhoods like Mattapan "have fewer options, even though they have a higher density of students." In Everett, nearly 80 percent of high school students graduate in four years, but among students for whom English is not a first language, the graduation rate is less than 45 percent - reflective of a gap that exists in school systems across the 7th District. Massachusetts ranks 34th in terms of access to early education for 4-year-olds, according to a study by the National Institute for Early Education Research. The average student loan borrower in Massachusetts graduates with more than $30,000 in debt, and the burden falls disproportionately on female students. Clearly, educational opportunity is not distributed equitably throughout our communities.

In order to address existing inequities in our education system, we must make the investments in public education that allow us to attract, develop, and retain world-class educators, provide state-of-the-art school facilities in every community, and make education affordable, but we must also be cognizant that the ability to learn is not determined only by what happens when students walk into the classroom. As the Annie E. Casey Foundation has written, "being hungry, homeless or having untreated health problems pose tremendous obstacles for children to succeed in school." Exposure to violence, poverty, and dangerous environmental conditions could be added to that list. We need to take a comprehensive approach to ensure that students - at any level - have the health care, financial support, and out-of-school opportunities that empower them to learn.

On the Boston City Council, I have focused on improving student health by funding school nurses in every public school in Boston, and building a farm-to-school pipeline to provide students with healthy food in school - the place many students get their only reliable meal of the day; I've worked to address school discipline policies that disproportionately impact girls and address teen pregnancy, which leads too many girls to drop out; I've advocated for efforts to improve the quality of Madison Park Vocational Technical High School in Roxbury; and I've worked to hold for-profit colleges accountable and help protect students against deceptive loan practices. We need leaders in Congress who will not only fight for greater funding for education, but who understand the root causes of educational inequity and will work proactively to address them - that is the kind of leadership I will bring.

Policy Priorities

Early Education

Expand resources to support maternal and child health. Children's healthy development begins even before they are born and accelerates in the early years of life. In order to set young children on a path to succeed in school and in life, we need policies that support mother prior to and immediately after birth. I have called for the passage of the MOMMA Act, which would establish standardized obstetric care protocols, better data collection systems, and would extend Medicaid coverage for new moms up to one year after giving birth. I also believe we need to increase funding for programs like the Maternal, Infant and Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV), and expand access to the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).
Increase funding for Head Start and Early Head Start. Head Start, and Early Head Start, are the largest federal programs aimed at providing early education opportunities for 3- and 4-year-olds from low-income families. Head Start provides grants to local educational agencies and oversees the operations of agencies providing Head Start services. Head Start and Early Head Start funding received a significant increase in funding under the FY2018 omnibus spending legislation, but available programs are still only able to cover a fraction of eligible children. In Congress, I would fight for increased funding for Head Start and Early Head Start in FY19 and beyond, in order to ensure access for low-income families across the 7th District.
Support comprehensive data collection on early educator wages, benefits, educational levels, and turnover. Early educators play a critical role in preparing young children to succeed throughout elementary school and closing persistent achievement gaps. However, persistently low wages and lack of opportunity for professional development lead to high turnover in the early education workforce, especially among educators with a college degree (many of whom have accrued student debt). In order to address these challenges, policymakers need up-to-date information on the wages, benefits, and other characteristics of early educators in different settings, including center-based staff and home care providers. In Congress, I would sponsor legislation to establish a consistent framework for collecting and disseminating staff information from early education and care providers.
K-12 Education

Restructure federal programs to reimburse school nurses for covered health care services. Our school nurses are on the front lines of addressing complex medical conditions like asthma, autism, drug use and trauma, and are often providing health care services that are reimbursable in other health care settings, including clinics and hospitals. Building on my work in Boston championing investment in school nurses, I will introduce legislation to ensure that covered health care services provided in school settings are eligible for reimbursement from Medicaid, CHIP, and private insurers, reducing the burden on state and local budgets, and helping to ensure that every student has access to a full-time nurse.
Ensure access to school-based mental health services. Children throughout the 7th District and beyond are struggling with significant behavioral health challenges ranging from loneliness and depression to substance use and suicidality; a challenge further compounded by traumatic stressors like abuse, neglect, addiction and violence. Research shows that, nationally, hospitalizations among teens for suicidal thoughts and attempts have risen, especially during the school year. In Congress, I will push for more funding to scale up and support school-based mental health initiatives that promote social and emotional wellness and provide equitable access to services, like BPS' Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model. I will also push to review data collection and reporting protocols for suicide among children.
Fund Effective Programs for Addressing Teen Pregnancy. I will fight the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate funding for evidence-based programs like the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (TPP), which "many medical professionals credit with helping to drive the nation's teen pregnancy rate to an all-time low. "These programs have a real and tangible impact here in the 7th District; the potential loss of federal funding through TPP has forced the Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy to close its doors at the end of June. We should be doubling down on funding for these critical, effective programs, not cutting it.
Co-Sponsor the Farm to School Act. For many children, school is the only place they regularly have access to a meal. I will support this legislation to expand access to healthy local foods in schools, while boosting economic opportunities for family farmers. This bill will build upon the USDA Farm to School Grant program and will increase program funding, expand access to preschool, summer and afterschool programs, and encourage participation for a broader range of beginning, veteran, and socially disadvantaged farmers.
Promote access to STEM programming. Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math education prepares students for careers in the rapidly-growing industries that are driving our economy. However, women and communities of color remain significantly underrepresented in STEM industries, often because schools lack the resources to offer high-quality programming or individuals are not encouraged to pursue STEM subjects. Congress, I will co-sponsor the 21st Century STEM for Girls and Underrepresented Minorities Act, which would amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act to provide grants to local educational agencies for the development of programs aimed at increasing STEM participation among girls and underrepresented minorities.
Increase access to arts education programs. On the Boston City Council, I led the establishment of Boston Arts and Cultural District and the Literary Cultural District, and I worked to elevate the role of the arts in our public schools, because artistic education and experiences are critical components of learning and healthy development. With much of the focus on STEM education, we should be cognizant of including an intentional focus on the arts and revising the acronym to STEAM. In Congress, I will support increased funding for local arts education through the Every Student Succeeds Act, as well as the Strengthening Career and Technical Education for the 21st Century Act, which includes a specific focus on the arts in career and technical education programs, and Rep. Barbara Lee's resolution calling for greater and more equitable access to STEAM education.
Create pipelines for minority educators. According to data from the Urban Institute, in 2015, nearly half of students were non-white, but only a quarter of teachers were people of color. One of the major reasons for this discrepancy is the relatively low career earnings that teachers can expect, coupled with often high student loan debt - a burden that falls disproportionately on minorities. In addition, educational requirements for teachers function to lock-in teacher diversity gaps, when fewer minorities, overall, are graduating from college compared to their white counterparts. In Congress, I would support efforts to increase graduation rates of minorities from college, generally, and would introduce legislation to create and fund pilot programs for states to recruit teachers of color.
Support school discipline reform. From Randolph to Everett, schools across the 7th district are grappling with school safety concerns. As we debate new ideas, we should also acknowledge what we already know - zero tolerance policies and exclusionary disciplinary practices like suspension and expulsion can have a disparate impact on students of color. Federal civil rights investigations have shown that students of color are punished more harshly than white students for identical or similar behavior, resulting in worse educational outcomes, more arrests, and more court-involved youth of color. In Congress, I will push to codify Obama-era guidance on disparate impact, invest in trauma-sensitive and informed schools, fund school counselors (and not more cops), and expand grant opportunities to fund alternatives approaches to suspension like restorative justice.
Higher Education

Commit to debt-free public higher education. As the cost of a college or university education continues to rise, student loan borrowers now hold more than $1.5 trillion in outstanding debt - representing an enormous burden that constrains economic opportunity and deterring too many students from enrolling in postsecondary education. The burden of student loan debt falls disproportionately on women, minorities, and low-income students - further exacerbating existing inequities in educational and economic outcomes. In order to expand access to higher education, I am committed to leading efforts to provide federal funding that makes obtaining a degree at a public college or university debt-free for all students. I would co-sponsor the Debt-Free College Act, introduced by Representative Mark Pocan, which would provide a dollar-for-dollar federal match for state investment in debt-free higher education, inclusive of tuition, fees, and living expenses.
Allow student loan borrowers to refinance existing debt. Borrowers holding existing student loan debt should be empowered to refinance their loans - the same way borrowers are allowed to refinance home mortgages. In Congress, I would co-sponsor the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, to allow student loan borrowers to refinance student loans at interest rates applied to new federal loans.
Support strategies to improve college completion rates for minority students. Policymakers and educators have developed a number of strategies to improve college completion rates among minority students, including greater transitional support, better information about cost and financial aid, and more sustained support in the form of diversity initiatives and specialized learning communities. I support efforts to expand all of these approaches, but I believe we must also be committed to holding institutions accountable for the success of students. I would support efforts to incorporate accountability for specific groups of students - including minority, low-income, and ELL students - into the Higher Education Act, in the same way such accountability is incorporated into K-12 education policy. I believe that what gets measured, gets done, and strong accountability would help focus higher education resources on the most vulnerable populations.
Eliminate Existing Student Debt. Student debt threatens the dreams of millions of Americans - paying hundreds of dollars a month towards student loans makes it more difficult to start a family, own a home, or pursue a passion. I have called for a system of debt-free, public higher education - to ensure that everyone is afforded the opportunity of a quality post-secondary education. But while we focus on building a more sustainable system for future students, we cannot ignore the nearly 50 million Americans who are already struggling under nearly $1.5 trillion in collective student debt. This existing debt is constraining our economy and limiting opportunity. In Congress, I will work with my colleagues to achieve one-time student debt cancellation to jumpstart our economy.

Career and Continuing Education

Expand vocational training programs and create linkages to postsecondary education and the workforce. In Congress, I would co-sponsor the Youth Access to American Jobs Act of 2017, which would award grants to partnerships between local educational agencies, community colleges, and labor training programs to create pathways for students from high school into the workforce. Creating clear linkages between vocational education and job prospects, and leveraging partnerships with existing workforce authorities and the private sector, is essential to increasing graduation rates from vocational technical high schools and providing relevant skills that will help students ultimately succeed in the job market.
Provide wraparound services to support students enrolled in adult education courses. Adults seeking to complete their GED or further their education often face unique challenges, including childcare, work requirements, or taking care of aging family members. In Congress, I will sponsor the creation of a grant program, similar to the Adult Basic Education Career Connections program, that provides grants to local adult education providers who have an intentional focus on coordinating wraparound services, including child care, health visits, and elder care, that allow students to participate fully in educational opportunities.
Support adult ESL learners. In our current climate, it's important to not only resist draconian policies that are devastating immigrant communities, but to work proactively to support the advancement of immigrants, many of whom speak English as a second, third, or fourth language, presenting serious challenges to educational and economic opportunity. In Congress, I would advocate for increased funding for Title II of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), which provides a range of language and literacy instruction for adult ESL learners in academic and workplace settings.

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