As a mother and grandmother, I believe education should be handled at the state and local level, by Iowans, not Washington bureaucrats.

I supported the bipartisan Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) which rolls back many of the failed policies established under No Child Left Behind. This legislation ends the Common Core mandate and other federally prescribed academic standards imposed on our states. In addition, ESSA moves our education system away from a Washington top down, one size fits all system based on test results. These long overdue reforms give our individual states greater flexibility to design and implement their education and accountability standards as they see fit.  Although the final bill did not accomplish all of our goals in supporting and empowering local leaders, it took major steps in the right direction.

Additionally, in preparing young people to enter the workforce, it is important that we bridge the gap between employers and students to make sure we are properly preparing students according to the needs of the local job market.  In this age of ever changing and advancing technologies, it is vital that we provide opportunities for students to pursue trades and promote career and technical education. 

Furthermore, as the cost of higher education continues to rise, we must ensure that students and families are aware of the tools and resources available to help budget and plan accordingly.  We also have to make sure student loans are accessible to students and families that finance their secondary education and that the interest rates are reasonable and affordable.

Click the links below to read more about my work to restore local control to our school systems.