Education

The future of our state and our country depends on our children and their education. As the pace of globalization increases, our children will have to compete with the rest of the world for the best jobs. The No Child Left Behind Act was established to make sure that our public schools educate our children for the 21^st century and give them the tools for success. Unfortunately, the President has failed to provide adequate funding to implement No Child Left Behind, and New Jersey property taxpayers have been stuck with the bill. In fact, No Child Left Behind funding shortfalls have reached almost $1.5 billion annually in New Jersey alone.

These shortfalls have forced South Jersey communities to increase property taxes to pay for federal education mandates and offset rising education costs. The federal government must honor its obligation to provide its fair share of funding to our public schools. This investment must be sufficient to help our schools drive down classroom sizes, improve educational facilities, and ensure that every child is taught by a highly qualified teacher.

The No Child Left Behind Act has placed too much emphasis on testing, rather than thinking and learning. Many times, our teachers are forced to choose between teaching their students to succeed on a standardized test or teaching them to think for themselves. John Adler will work to overhaul the No Child Left Behind Act to help students thrive with far less emphasis on standardized testing.

Too many children are leaving high school ill-prepared in math, technology, and basic reasoning. John Adler understands that we need to be a nation of problem solvers to succeed in a global economy. He knows that we need to get back to basics in terms of how we approach teaching, and that starts with teachers. Across the State and across the country, we are facing a shortage of math and science teachers. In Congress, John Adler will work to continue and expand the new Recruiting Teachers with Math, Science, or Language Majors program, which awards grants to Institutions of Higher Education to improve the availability, recruitment, and retention of teachers from among students majoring in these subjects.

John Adler strongly believes that we need to improve access to America’s higher education system. Many working families are struggling to deal with mounting college expenses, which are rising faster than the rate of inflation. Because of the importance of higher education to the future of our children, we cannot allow financial need to deprive a student from attending college.

John Adler supports passage of legislation such as the College Cost and Reduction and Access Act, which boosts funding for Pell Grant scholarships, caps need-based student-loan interest rates, and assists young people who wish to pursue public service careers. He believes that we need to serve those who have served our country. John Adler supports expanded funding for returning GIs to seek higher education. In addition, we must work to improve the federal higher education tax credit programs and expand the tax deduction for interest on student loans. The expansion of these worthwhile programs will help drive down college costs and ensure that higher education remains within reach of all New Jersey families.

Community colleges are not only an integral part of the community, but also an increasingly attractive option for middle class families as the price of four year institutions continues to rise. John Adler supports efforts to keep community colleges affordable and to increase enrollment opportunities for high school students to take classes for credit at community colleges. Sometimes, though, college is not the best option for some of America’s students. John Adler supports funding for vocational education for students who choose not to attend college.

John Adler believes that we need to invest more in early childhood education. Studies show that students who are provided with a quality early childhood education are much more likely to succeed in their academic careers than their peers. John Adler supports initiatives to encourage all districts to provide full day kindergarten for their children.

Special education is one of the biggest cost drivers in education funding. Although the federal government mandates specialized services for classified students through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, they cover only about 17% of the cost. If elected, John Adler would push the federal government to fulfill its original promise to provide 40% of special education funding.

Our children are our future. We need to give them every opportunity to succeed so that they too can live the American Dream. John Adler will fight to provide the best opportunities for New Jersey’s children.