The Stakes are High
EDUCATION
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”
—Nelson Mandela
Key policies:
Provide grants to states for the establishment of early education programs
Invest in training public school teachers
Increase social workers, therapists, and other resources in low-income school districts
Eradicate the school-to-prison pipeline
Expand after-school education programs
Cap college loan payback at 10% of a student's income
Forgive all debt after 15 years
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The Details:
- Early childhood education: the Foundations Package -
Provide grants to states for the establishment of early childhood education programs
Only half of America’s four-year-olds are enrolled in early education programs. Let’s ensure that our children start at the same place.
The Childhood Advancement Bill: Incentivize early educators to further professional development through tax credits
A stronger group of American early educators would ensure that our children are equipped with the tools to succeed in higher education. In fact, a strong educational foundation decreases crime rates and promotes economic growth.
- K-12 education: the Reform and Restoration Package -
Reform the public school system
Invest in training teachers
Increase resources in low-income school districts. Low-income students lack out-of-school resources such as social workers, adequate counselors, mentorship programs, and unique after school activities. These students are entitled to a positive and supportive in-school environment.
Invest in magnet schools, charter schools, teacher-led schools, and career academics for low-income students
Create realistic thresholds for these students to meet
Eradicate the school-to-prison pipeline
Overly harsh punishments, which disproportionately affect African-American students, set these minority students up for incarceration. By replacing Zero Tolerance disciplinary measures with rehabilitation programs and one-on-one counseling, we can ensure that these students are getting the appropriate help they need. These students—many of whom have social and/or economic disadvantages—are the exact students who should remain in schools.
Expand after-school education programs
Not only do after-school programs provide students with enriching, out of school instruction, but they are a form of childcare for working parents.
Funnel 5% of the defense budget into the education budget
Our stance on school choice: school choice re-entrenches the problem it attempts to solve. Allowing low-income students to attend private schools diverts resources from public schools and fails to address the larger problem: public education is underfunded and underdeveloped. Not only that, but school vouchers simply don’t work. Voucher recipients show no improvement in math and reading. Moreover, vouchers don’t cover the full tuition, leaving economically disadvantaged students behind.
- College education: The Discovery Plan -
All community colleges should offer free tuition
Cap college loans payback at 10% of a student's income
Forgive all debt after 15 years
Let's recognize that students should have the opportunity to live happy, debt-free lives
Promote state investment in colleges
Let's reduce tuition by letting states shoulder some of the burden