The continued existence of a government of the people, for the people, and by the people is not possible unless we provide for and educate our children, and instill in them the knowledge and foundation necessary to succeed, keep our country secure and exercise oversight of the government through the Constitution and Bill of Rights. As a former certified teacher, I support local control, individualized education, creative thinking and true learning. We cannot continue to push children through the system to meet some artificial measure of success. The federal government’s role in education must begin with the support of state and local efforts to improve public schools and implement programs that include, school choice initiatives, charter schools when necessary, and merit pay for teachers. The federal role is one of guidance and leadership not the setting of standards, which must reside with state and local school boards. Local programs must also address the educational needs of distressed rural and urban areas. All educational programs, implemented and controlled at the local level, must provide real opportunity for children to start on an equal playing field. The programs must prevent “at risk” students from dropping out and help produce an experienced work force. Teaching our children to pass a standardized test does not promote learning or the development of the skills necessary to succeed; it limits the instructor’s ability to teach the whole child and drives the development of the curriculum. We must reward success and support teachers in their efforts to help students learn by reducing class sizes to promote student achievement. Additionally, we must implement a reward system to ensure that students and the schools they attend are supported by parents, families and communities that earnestly partake in the learning experience. The future and security of America is dependent on how well we provide for the education of our children and every child, regardless of their social-economic status should have an opportunity to live the American Dream. The key to opening the door to the American Dream is educational opportunity for all our children. I will work to ensure that we adequately fund education at the local level, eliminate federal mandates, ensure that the Department of Education supports local control over education and that we look elsewhere when budget cuts are necessary. I will further ensure that revisions to the No Child Left Behind act take this and more (Priorities in Education) into account and that schools in Maryland’s 6th Congressional District receive their fair share from Washington while promoting local control of education. As so elegantly stated by Thomas Jefferson, “Educate and inform the whole mass of the people... They are the only sure reliance for the preservation of our liberty.” ### |