Commitment to Education
Lagging test scores, growing class sizes, and consistent cuts to arts, music and physical education are only a few of the symptoms of an American education system in distress. Every state in our union struggles to find enough money for its schools; meanwhile, funding for all education programs currently takes up less than 1% of the federal budget.
• Earl Childhood Education. Studies have shown the value of pre-k programs in preparing students to enter a learning environment. Many states are moving forward with providing these opportunities and Congress should increase its support and encouragement of pre-k programs.
• Fixing "No Child Left Behind. Elementary and Secondary Education Act is up for re authorization this year. Earl will be meeting with education professionals throughout the district to find the most effective ways to improve this legislation by investigating these solutions:
• Increasing federal funding that allows schools to meet their goals
• Using growth models to track student progress in a meaningful way
• Using measurement tools that are appropriate to a child’s development potential
• Recognizing the challenges of English Language Learners
• Improving support for at-risk students and working to decrease the achievement gap
• Helping already-disadvantaged schools meet their goals
• Eliminating the move toward school voucher
• Funding our community colleges and technical schools
• Providing opportunities for workers to re-educate themselves for a competitive workforce
• Encouraging programs that feature sustainability and hight tech job training
In almost four decades of public service, Earl Blumenauer's innovative accomplishments in transportation, planning, environmental programs and public participation have helped Portland, Oregon earn an international reputation as one of America's most livable cities.