Education

Expanding Opportunities and Providing Tools for Success

Congresswoman Hirono is continuing to work on education policy in the House of Representatives, having long focused on improving education throughout her years of public service. Congresswoman Hirono serves on the Education and Labor Committee, a position she requested so she could have more influence to improve education in Hawai‘i and nationally.

Education is the key to success in our increasingly global economy, and education is also a great equalizer if our society provides access and opportunity for all students to learn.

Among the many education policy needs in our country, three priorities stand out – to ensure more children enter school ready to succeed, to overhaul No Child Left Behind, and to make college more affordable.

Help more children enter school ready to succeed:

Congresswoman Hirono recently introduced the Providing Resources Early for Kids (PRE-K) Act of 2007 (H.R. 3289). The PRE-K Act invests in our families, our nation, and our future by creating a federal-state partnership to improve early education opportunities.

She also offered a successful amendment in the Improving Head Start Act of 2007 (H.R. 1429) to improve the training and technical assistance provided for Early Head Start teachers.

Provide equal opportunity: Every child deserves a chance to succeed in school and in life. High quality early education is a step toward closing the achievement gap that students entering kindergarten often face.
Focus on quality: The PRE-K Act introduced by Congresswoman Hirono and the Improving Head Start Act both seek to provide children and families access to the highest quality early education opportunities possible.
Invest wisely: Every dollar we spend on early education will come back to us at least two-fold in benefits such as decreased grade repetition, increased job productivity, and decreased reliance on social services.

Overhaul No Child Left Behind:

We have an opportunity to dramatically improve America’s public schools by making vital changes to NCLB. The Education and Labor Committee has heard from parents, teachers, principals, superintendents, and other stakeholders at 14 hearings on NCLB this year, and has reviewed the written recommendations from over 100 education groups. When combined with the extensive information Congresswoman Hirono has gathered from Hawai‘i’s education community, this information shapes her NCLB priorities.

Increase fairness and flexibility:
Allow states to implement a growth model to give credit for progress over time, and measure progress by using more than a single test on a single day. This is especially important because Hawai‘i is ready and eager to implement a growth model, but the U.S. Department of Education has not allowed it.
Support teachers and principals:
Treat educators with the respect they deserve: no factor matters more to student learning than the quality of teachers and principals.
Encourage best practices:
Recognize the critical importance and relevance of subjects such as science, history, arts, music, and foreign languages.
Protect Native Hawaiian Education:
Reauthorize the Native Hawaiian Education Act to ensure that our keiki have opportunities for success.

Make college more affordable:

The House and Senate passed the College Cost Reduction Act (H.R. 2669), which became law in September 2007. This legislation provides the single largest investment in higher education since the GI Bill– $18 billion – at no new cost to taxpayers.

Reduce cost: This bill reduces the cost on student loans and increases the size of Pell Grant scholarships – this will amount to over $32 million for students in Hawaii.
Reward public service: Congresswoman Hirono introduced the Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act of 2007 (H.R. 2655) and worked with Education and Labor Committee Chairman George Miller to ensure that its provisions, which provide loan forgiveness for early educators, were included in the College Cost Reduction Act. The bill also provides assistance to firefighters, police officers, and nurses.
Invest in Native Hawaiians: Congresswoman Hirono worked to secure millions of new dollars for colleges and universities serving Native Hawaiians.

Press Releases related to Education

(2/7/2008) House Passes Bill to Make College More Affordable and Accessible
(1/23/2008) Congresswoman Hirono Chairs Hearing on Quality Early Education
(12/13/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Introduces Legislation to Help Hawai‘i Schools
(12/11/2007) House Passes Hirono Resolution Honoring the University of Hawai‘i
(11/8/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Selected as Conferee on Head Start Bill
(10/26/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Introduces Early Education Workforce Act
(9/7/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Helps Cut College Costs
(8/1/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Introduces Legislation to Improve Early Childhood Education
(7/11/2007) Congresswoman Hirono Votes for Largest Investment in College Aid since GI Bill