Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

The simple bargain at the core of the American Dream is that every American who works hard should have the chance to get ahead in life.

Today, the people of Northeast Wisconsin compete with workers on every continent. Information flows across oceans in a few moments. High-wage jobs are more dependent than ever on high-level skills. Now, as never before, education is the key to opportunity and the foundation of a strong Wisconsin economy.

Education yields countless benefits, from a stronger economy and a better workforce to lower crime, stronger families, and more fulfilling lives. That's why I'm committed to building a system that offers the best education to all our children -- wherever they live, whatever their background.

I was the first in my family to attend college, and I owe my education to my parents, the Wrightstown public schools and the University of Wisconsin. Parents and local communities clearly have the largest role to play in educating children. I understand that the federal government does not have all the answers. I want to make sure that parents and local communities are engaged and empowered to make the important decisions to improve and sustain their schools.

I believe in a system where every child comes to school ready to learn, where every student is held to high standards, and where every school has the resources and the responsibility to meet those standards. We must do more to ensure access to proven effective early childhood programs such as Head Start and to quality after-school programs that increase achievement and keep kids out of trouble.

And since people who don't graduate from high school struggle in today's economy, we must support programs to keep kids in schools. Moreover, since even lower-wage jobs increasingly need technical skills, we must provide greater technical training either in high school or after graduation.

But education doesn't stop with a high school diploma. Higher education -- and lifelong access to it -- is also extremely important to the success of our region. College graduate earnings continue to rise, so providing greater access to higher education will benefit the entire Northeast Wisconsin economy. We need to make sure that students have access to financial aid, such as student loans and grants, as they pursue education after high school and throughout their lives. And we must help protect students from crippling debt burdens when they graduate. I believe in an America where every qualified young person who wants to go to college can afford it and where every motivated adult who needs additional job training can get it.

The federal government now gets a failing grade for its education policies. In recent years, college tuitions have skyrocketed, pricing hundreds of thousands of students out of college. At the same time, some in Washington have proposed charging more for student loans and eliminating Pell Grants for many thousands of students eager to study hard to get ahead.

We all have a stake in ensuring that each new generation of Wisconsinites gets a quality education. If we are going to preserve the American Dream, every child should have a great teacher and every high school graduate should have the chance to go to college.

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