KIDS & EDUCATION

Every child in America deserves to be able to attend a good public school, and all Americans should have affordable opportunities to continue to learn and pursue their dreams.

As a mother and former high school chemistry teacher, quality education is among the most important values for me and my family. My father, a Polish refugee during World War II, used his education to help secure a better life for himself and our family. He and my mother inspired me to achieve my dreams by obtaining an ROTC scholarship to study engineering at Stanford, then to earn my Master’s degree. 

Experiencing the power of what education has done for me and my family, I was inspired to become a teacher. In the classroom, I saw firsthand how poor reading comprehension was a barrier to ongoing learning for too many students, so after leaving the classroom, I became the President and COO of a Pennsylvania-based non-profit focused on improving childhood literacy. 

From what I have learned as a student, parent, teacher, and advocate, I know what it takes to ensure we offer world-class education to every American. Unfortunately, people on both sides of the aisle are politicizing our kids, putting schools at the center of culture wars, and turning school board meetings into hyperpartisan shouting matches. There’s work to be done, but we need leaders to take problems seriously. That’s why I am working on important and tangible issues, like making investments in school infrastructure and books, increasing teacher pay, and making higher education more affordable.

In Congress, I am using my experiences to improve education in America by:

  • Investing in public schools. Supporting public schools must be at the core of our education policy. That’s why in early 2019, I cosponsored the Rebuild America’s Schools Act, which would invest more than $100 billion in long-term improvements to our public schools. 

  • Keeping kids in the classroom. The pandemic hit kids and teachers hard, and unfortunately, many children were deprived of top-caliber learning for over a year. We need to do everything possible to keep classrooms open, which is why I proudly helped to send $5 billion in relief to Pennsylvania K-12 public schools aimed at helping schools stay open and address learning loss.

  • Supporting teachers. We must recruit and retain world-class teachers, which is why I am a strong proponent of increasing teacher compensation. I also helped lead the Teacher Diversity and Retention Act to grow the pipeline of diverse teacher talent and to ensure that teachers working in lower-performing schools have the tools and training they need to succeed. 

  • Improving literacy programs. Students can only move up the education ladder once they learn to read. I introduced the bipartisan READ Act to support states and school districts that invest in evidence-based literacy education for students with learning disabilities.

  • Ensuring that higher education, apprenticeships, and vocational school are attainable and affordable. Continued learning – whether it be at a University, Community College, vocational school, or apprenticeship – should be an option for all Americans. Unfortunately, costs are prohibitive for far too many. That’s why I support bills to defer or forgive student debt for young entrepreneurs and medical professionals, as well as the bipartisan Opportunities for Heroes Act to provide $25,000 in student loan debt relief or education benefits to essential workers.  

  • Improving STEM education in America. As an engineer, I know how important it is to the future of our economy that we train future STEM leaders, so I started the Congressional Women in STEM Caucus to advocate for meaningful advancements. Among other things, I strongly support the INSPIRES Act to improve STEM and technical education programs in high schools, community colleges, and minority-serving institutions like Lincoln University in our community.