Ben on Education: Every Child Matters
The status quo of education policy in America is failing our children. Education is key to a successful livelihood. In Congress I will work to scrap the shortsighted, bureaucratic policy that has left the majority of the country and our great state of New Mexico behind -- it is time to do away with No Child Left Behind.
We must empower teachers to challenge our children and teach them to be successful, critical thinkers, not simply good test-takers. Our kids are more than a test score. The fate of New Mexico and the nation will soon be in the hands of our children, and we must prepare them to succeed in the global economy.
The American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association have endorsed my candidacy because they know that in Congress I will put students at the center of every decision I make on education policy and that I will be committed to providing all children access to a quality education.
We need an education system that builds on a core foundation in literacy, mathematics, science and history, encouraging students to develop critical thinking and problem-solving skills, and the ability to communicate effectively. In order to be competitive in the global economy, we need to educate more engineers, scientists, and mathematicians.
I support a plan to help our children get the right start for a promising future:
A national minimum wage for teachers
-- Teachers are as important as scientists, doctors and engineers. They deserve a good wage to encourage more people to go into the profession.
The federal government should work with state and local governments to supplement pay in order to achieve this goal.
Expansion of pre-kindergarten programs
-- So all kids start on equal footing
Frequent, short-cycle assessments
-- Give teachers timely, meaningful input to design instruction and meet a diversity of learning needs, instead of revoking resources from teachers and schools that need them most, as NCLB does.
Creation of healthy environments from kindergarten through high school
-- Eliminate junk foods in schools nationally, following New Mexico’s example
-- Require physical education to help fight childhood obesity, diabetes and other obesity-related illnesses
-- Teach kids to lead healthy lifestyles as lifelong habits
A Teachers Corps to aid in rural retention and keep college graduates out of debt
-- If students agree to work in rural America, they would qualify for a scholarship to pay for parts or all of their educational debt
Increased access to funding for higher education
-- Every American should have the opportunity to attend college
Public-service scholarships for college students
-- Students would become eligible for a scholarship in return for public service. We must encourage students to
enter the nursing, engineering, public safety and teaching professions.
