A lifelong approach to education policy
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. We begin teaching our children about the world the day they are born. At a young age, we send them to school to learn the basics of reading, writing and counting; before we know it, they are thumbing through novels, composing essays and mastering algebra. After school, we watch them enter the workforce, find their own career paths and continue to learn about the world as they grow.
If our children are learning all throughout their time in public schools, then our education policy should address their needs at each stage of learning. As discussion over the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) begins, Congress has the opportunity to implement comprehensive plans that mold bright students, able workers and successful adults from the first days of pre-K through high school and into the workforce.
The first step in nurturing successful students is ensuring that all children have the opportunity to start out strong. I recently visited Lewis & Clark Elementary School in Caroline County and learned that, despite the school’s successful pre-K program, the high demand and limited space for preschool classes has led the school to turn away students.
To address the issue that some schools cannot accept all children into their early education programs or offer pre-k programs at their schools, I’ve introduced the PRE-K Act to create a new federal-state partnership to help states hire and train early childhood educators and expand preschool days and hours. Such partnerships will increase access to high-quality early childhood education, setting children up for strong performance and continued benefits throughout their school careers.
As our children progress through the school system, we also need to ensure that we are preparing all of them for careers after graduation. Because there are many pathways that students can choose after high school, I have been a strong advocate for Career and Technical Education (CTE) as means of preparing students for 21st century skills since I joined the Senate.
This year, I’ve continued advocating for increased access to CTE by introducing the Career Ready Act of 2015, which would encourage states to keep track of school districts’ use of career readiness indicators--factors that demonstrate a student’s preparedness for postsecondary education and the workforce, such as CTE course completion and the number of students earning postsecondary credentials while in high school. Currently, less than half of states publicly report on career readiness indicators. By tracking and publishing this data, businesses and workforce leaders will be better-informed about the level of career preparation in a given state or region. Furthermore, the bill will help train school counselors to use labor market information to help guide students toward in-demand career paths.
Academic knowledge is essential for postsecondary preparation, but public reporting on career readiness indicators and investment in career counseling demonstrate a commitment to preparing all students for future careers, regardless of their postsecondary education plans.
Education is not only meant to prepare students for careers, though; it’s meant to instill in them skills and knowledge that they can apply to many different aspects of their lives. I recently traveled to the University of Virginia and met with members of One Less, a group that advocates for survivors of rape and sexual assault. A number of these students mentioned that their high school health education courses didn’t cover topics like sexual assault prevention or communication in safe relationships. We agreed that education can be an important tool to help prevent sexual assault and domestic violence, both of which disproportionately affect young people whether on a college campus or not.
These student advocates inspired me to introduce the Teach Safe Relationships Act of 2015, legislation that would improve health education in public secondary schools where it is taught, by including information on “safe relationship behavior” and ways to prevent sexual assault, domestic violence and dating violence. With the disturbing trends regarding sexual assault on college campuses and unhealthy relationships among young adults, I am hopeful the Teach Safe Relationships Act will be one part of the solution to this pressing problem in our culture.
Learning is a lifelong endeavor. As a parent, I’ve spent a combined total of 40 years navigating my own three children through public pre-K-12 classrooms. As an elected official, I’ve spent more than 20 years in public service. Despite decades of parenthood and public office, I’m still learning new ways to improve education and help grow the world’s most talented workforce. As discussion over the re-authorization of ESEA begins, I believe that we can expand early learning for our youngest students, provide more career opportunities for our middle and high schoolers and curb the ongoing sexual assault epidemic by educating our young adults about healthy relationship behavior. I’m excited to see where this conversation goes and eager to learn even more new ways to improve our schools from pre-K to high school and beyond.
You can contact Senator Tim Kaine (D-Virginia) through his website at www.kaine.senate.gov.
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