One of the best things we can give our children is an exceptional education, and there is no better insurance we can provide our future economy than exceptionally educated children. In a state like Nevada, where we have long relied heavily on one specific industry, it is vital that we educate our children in preparation for a new, diverse economy. That is why my priority in the United States Senate is to help make Nevada’s schools the best in the country.
I went to public elementary school and junior high in Northern Nevada and graduated from Clark High School in Las Vegas. My education and experiences during those formative years have had a lasting impact on my life. Whether children want to be astronauts, doctors, teachers, or even United States senators, their education should give them the tools to reach their goals.
A balance of local control, parental involvement, accountability and innovative educators will provide the foundation Nevada needs in order to build a diverse economy, prepared to compete and thrive in the 21st century. In order to reach that goal, our education system should take a lesson from the success of our business leaders.
Accountability. To educate our children – whether in local communities or across the country – schools needs to be run with the goals of success and accountability. As a veterinarian and small business owner, I know that if I don’t demand positive results and continued improvement from my business and my employees, I am going to be out of business very quickly. Our schools are no different. Students must be tested annually in order to allow parents to rate their child’s school and help policymakers focus on schools that are not performing.
Accountability must be more than lip service for our children to succeed. States that meet their accountability requirements ought to be eligible for bonuses. After giving extra financial help to failing schools, if those schools continue to fail the students, parents need to be empowered with other options. If there are no consequences for failure, schools will continue down that path. Just as businesses have incentives to increase productivity, so too should states hold schools accountable in order for them to improve.
Freedom to Innovate and Educate. Federal education dollars come with too many strings attached, hampering schools’ ability to successfully focus on their students’ needs. By freeing states from excessive federal mandates, we allow the school in Las Vegas or Elko to concentrate on what its students need to succeed, rather than be forced into a policy created by a bureaucrat in Washington, D.C. What works for a business in New York City may not work for the same business in Reno, and if a corporation wants to succeed, it will be better off allowing flexibility among its different business ventures. The same is true for schools
Helping Parents Choose. Just as business people follow the success of their investments through stock reports, parents should be provided with the opportunity to accurately measure school success with school report cards. We should also work to promote existing and new charter schools, to provide parents with different public school choices.
Assuring Quality Teachers. Teachers, not just students, need to be making the grade. Those who are succeeding should be paid more, and those who are not fulfilling their duties should look for employment elsewhere. Our children’s education is more important than job security for those who do not deserve it. Incompetence leads to failure in any business.
Promoting Safe Schools. Our children must feel safe in their classrooms or all the funding in the world will not make it possible for them to learn. Teachers need more latitude to remove disruptive or dangerous students from class, and funding for school safety and drug prevention should be increased.
By implementing these common-sense approaches to education in Nevada and America, we guarantee our children the foundation for a prosperous future. These philosophies have worked for many businesses in our state, and we should take a page from their lesson book on how to succeed.