Issue Position: Education

Issue Position

Ensuring Every Hoosier Child Has Access to Exceptional Early Education and a Safe, Student-Driven Learning Environment, Every High Schooler is Ready to Enter the Workforce or Pursue Higher Education, and Every Out-of- Work Adult Can Retrain and Develop the Skills Necessary to Succeed in Our 21 st Century Economy

* Responsibly Expand Access to Pre-K Options for the State's Most At-Risk Children

Expand Indiana's first-ever state-funded early education (Pre-K) program first to those who have the greatest financial need.
Continue to leverage all sources of revenue (federal, local, private) while maintaining autonomy.

* Strive to Have the Nation's Very Best K-12 Education System

Improve graduation rates and ensure students leave high school with a meaningful diploma, prepared to continue their education or enter the workforce.
Protect the rights of Hoosier families and parents to choose the best educational setting for their child's individual needs through strong support of every type of school -- traditional public schools, public charter schools, non-public schools and home schools - always working in a way that complements, rather than pits them against one another.
Support front line teachers and foster better communication between stakeholders.
Align public and private STEM education efforts and make enhancing STEM curriculum in every Hoosier school a priority.
Maintain a strong focus on Vocational, Career, and Technical Education.
Incentivize school districts to partner with other districts, state colleges and local businesses to increase opportunities for students to enroll in rigorous classes and work experiences that will help them succeed in life after high school.
Continue to increase funding for special needs students and English language learners in districts across the state.
Remain a national leader in school A-F accountability that is transparent to all stakeholders, simple and continues to place value on student growth and is not just based on one's performance on tests.

* Attract and Retain Our Very Best to the Teaching Profession

Attract and retain our very best to the prestigious profession of teaching by treating teachers as professionals and as the role models they are.
Equip educators with the resources and autonomy they need to succeed in the classroom.
Compensate our outstanding teachers in a manner that incentivizes them to stay in the classroom.
Ensure teachers are a part of the policy conversation as they are closest to our students and know firsthand how to best improve student achievement and reward outstanding teachers.
End counterproductive over-testing and implement a shorter test with quicker results that are meaningful to students, parents, and schools.

* Ensure a Clear and Affordable Path to College Completion

Work with public university presidents and trustees to slow the growth of tuition and other costs in order to make higher education more affordable.
Support the efforts of the Indiana Commission on Higher Education to develop and disseminate a new College Value Index.

* Strive to Provide Every Hoosier the Career Preparation, Education and Skills Needed to Succeed in our 21 st Century Economy

Give every individual returning to the workforce a chance to build skills aligned with Indiana's needs.
Incentivize workforce training providers to align their training with employer demand and reward those who meet or exceed their targets in serving the hardest to serve and those with the most significant barriers to re-entry.

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