Education

This is a wonderful country in which hard work can mean success. However, as a nation, we should do a better job at making sure that the tools to success are available for everyone. America needs to recommit to the education systems which made us the envy of the world and provided a hand up out of poverty for millions of hard working Americans who sought only to pursue the American Dream.

First, we must focus on early education. Early exposure to language can make all the difference for future success. I want to close what early learning experts call the 30-million-word gap between children from poor households and children in rich households. While supporting K-12 is important, by the time many children enter Kindergarten, he or she is already behind the learning curve so far that catching up is impossible. We can do this by educating the caregivers on how to better interact with their children.

Tackling this language development gap in America means opening up huge economic possibilities and a chance to grow our economy by maximizing the potential of all of our citizens, not just the ones of a fortunate birth. This is a commitment to our children that will cost us far less in the long run than the band aids we use now.

Secondly, while I am committed to higher education, not all paths are created equal. For too long the popular idea placed upon high school students that going directly to college after graduation is a path to personal and financial success. The reality is much different. While wages have remained stagnant when adjusted for inflation, the cost of tuition has more than doubled in the last 20 years. This means crippling debt for a degree that may not even bring gainful employment. Meanwhile, there is continually a crucial shortage of high-paying, vocational jobs left unfilled.

We should be flexible in the path we seek for successful students. Beginning in middle school we should offer vocational tracks for students who test well and who have demonstrated an interest. Upon completion of the program, we produce a generation of high-skilled students ready to tackle the real world.

Believe me, I want my children and your children to have the opportunity to get higher education. The values are inestimable. However, I want my children to be financially successful as well and if it means my daughter is a plumber for a few years while she builds up the financial stability to pay for school in cash, I’m okay with that too.