Education

Mark favors local control and accountability of America’s schools. Mark believes that the Bush administration’s No Child Left Behind law has been a disaster in Alaska and as Senator will work to return to an education policy that respects community values. He will fight to return control to Alaska’s parents and educators and for the millions of dollars in federal support promised, but not delivered, to Alaska schools. Mark will also work for federally-supported voluntary pre-K education to ensure that Alaska’s children get a good start on learning for the earliest age. He also supports expanded support for higher education so Alaska students don’t have to graduate from college or vocational school in debt. As an Anchorage assemblyman for nearly 10 years and now as mayor, Mark has analyzed and approved more than a dozen school district budgets. The students in Anchorage schools, where more than 90 languages are spoken, continue to outperform the national average of college entrance exams. Sadly, America is no longer the best educated country in the world, with a dangerous “achievement gap” among U.S. students.

Begich Education Plan calls for an end to federal mandate, new investment in universal pre-K education 

Calling the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law a disaster for Alaska, U.S. Senate candidate Mark Begich today released his education plan calling for a return to local control, major new investment in early childhood education, and federal incentives to retain quality teachers in rural communities.

Begich's plan, Respecting Local Education Values, Preparing Alaska's Children toCompete Globally, is designed to improve educational opportunities at every level, from universal pre-K education to affordable college and vocational education.

"Making sure our children have the best education possible to reach their highest academic potential is critical to the future of our state, but it is also very important to be personally," Begich said.

Meeting with teachers, others in the education field, and the media at the historic Pioneer School House in Anchorage, Begich noted that as the father of a young son, and the son of educators, improving education in Alaska is a family tradition.

"Clearly, No Child Left Behind is not working in Alaska," Begich said. "It started with good intentions but spiraled into disarray. It is hurting Alaska families and communities. It needs to go. "

Begich said the more than $70 billion of federal funding promised with NCLB has not been delivered. The key components of his education plan include:

Restoring Local Control - Begich supports getting rid of NCLB and working on a new education policy that will allow Alaskans, not Washington, D.C., to decide what's best for educating Alaska's children. Begich believes the federal government should support schools, but let local communities run them.

Helping Alaska Children Reach Their Highest Potential - Begich believes the nation must invest in schools for the good of children and society. Additional support could be used by school districts to obtain high-quality curriculum materials reflecting 21^st century literacy skills; information technology for all students; improved teacher salaries; and focused recruitment to bring Alaska graduates back to the state's towns and villages as teachers.

Investing in Universal, Voluntary Pre-K - Begich supports federal support for early learning programs for every Alaska child through funding of voluntary, universal pre-Kindergarten education programs.

Expanding Alaska Native Education Opportunities - Begich supports more funding for Alaska Native education programs at every level and increased flexibility in federal standards allowing for the integration of traditional ways of teaching and learning.

Making College Affordable for all Alaska Families - Begich supports the Hope Scholarship and Lifetime Learning Credit along with a broad-based college and vocational education tuition tax credit for all middle class Americans. Begich also supports increased funding for Pell Grants, increased eligibility to include more working families and part time students.

Expanding Career and Technical Education - Begich supports funding for high school career and technical programs and teacher recruitment which he would expand to middle school programs as well. Job training should also be expanded at the University of Alaska, especially at community campuses.

Keeping the University of Alaska Strong - Begich supports the recent changes made in the Higher Education Opportunity Act to support the Alaska Native Science and Engineering Program, but thinks more should be done to support universities that serve minorities. He will also push for additional funding for scientific and technical research and new energy research block grants to universities that focus on renewable energy and energy efficiency, innovation and deployment.

Cutting Energy Costs, Building Sustainable Schools - Begich will support new federal funding that rewards school that adopt sustainable, high-performance building and reconstruction standards.

"We need an education policy that restores local control and accountability. We need and education policy that respects community values. And, we need and education policy that focuses on helping all children achieve their highest academic potential," Begich said. 

Read Mark Begich's Education Plan