Muslims For Kucinich

The following is taken from the Kucinich campaign's issues page on Education

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The right of every American child to a high-quality free public education is one of America's most treasured principles. Dennis Kucinich intends to improve the quality of public education in those schools that are struggling, and to expand public education to include pre-kindergarten beginning at age 3 for any families that want it, as well as tuition-free college for millions of students.

Kucinich acts on his view that the education and well-being of our nation's children is a collective responsibility that all Americans share, and that education is a life-long process beginning long before a child enters kindergarten. Studies have shown that the most critical cognitive development occurs in the years from birth to age 3. That is one reason Congressman Kucinich has been a leading advocate for early childhood education, with a special emphasis on the support and care of low-income infants and toddlers.

Kucinich is a strong supporter of the keystone federal educational program for poor children, Head Start. In the House Education Committee, he has offered an amendment that would vastly expand Head Start by allowing all centers to run for a full day and by increasing the number of children who qualify for the program, raising family eligibility thresholds to twice the federal poverty line. By tripling the Head Start budget, Rep. Kucinich would bring an additional 1.5 million children into the program.

In the 107th and 108th Congresses, Kucinich introduced the Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act, a bill to create a free, universal, and voluntary pre-kindergarten program for 3-5 year old children across the county. Universal pre-kindergarten would revolutionize America's commitment to early childhood education and change the nature of child care provision for the better. The cost of this program is $60 billion per year, which Kucinich plans to pay for by cutting the bloated Pentagon budget by 15 percent.

Pre-kindergarten programs prepare children to meet the challenges of school. Studies show that young children who have access to a quality education benefit with higher academic achievements, increased graduation rates and decreased juvenile delinquency. Nationwide there's a severe shortage of affordable, quality education programs. By providing universal pre-kindergarten, we are ensuring that all of our children are ready for school.

The Universal Pre-Kindergarten Act will provide funding to states to establish universal pre-kindergarten programs that build on existing federal and state pre-kindergarten initiatives. The program is voluntary and will be available free-of-charge to all families who choose to participate. The legislation requires pre-kindergarten programs to meet quality standards of early education and provides resources for the professional development of teachers.

For grades K through 12, Kucinich's priorities are based on the bedrock principle of a free, universal, and high quality public education for every child in America. He strongly opposes initiatives that seek to undermine that commitment and has established a strong anti-voucher voting record. He believes that we cannot improve education by draining funding from our public schools. In Congress, he has proposed a constitutional amendment to codify the right of all citizens to equal, high-quality public education.

To achieve that goal, Kucinich supports a substantial reinvestment in the infrastructure of our nation's public schools. He co-sponsored the Better Classroom Act and the Expand and Build America's Schools Act, two bills to help communities make needed school repairs and expansions. He has supported additional funding for teacher training. And he was an original co-sponsor of HR 935, the most comprehensive child care and education bill in the U.S. Congress, encompassing 33 federal programs to improve child well-being and education in America.

Kucinich also has a plan to provide tuition-free higher education to millions of students in state universities. There are 12 million young Americans who attend public institutions, colleges, and universities. They pay an average of four thousand dollars a year. That adds up to 48 billion dollars a year. That's less than a third of the President's most recent tax cut for the wealthy. Even allowing for an increase in the cost per student and in the number of students enrolled, this remains a question of shifting priorities, not a need for new resources.

Kucinich believes that education is the only solution proven to reduce poverty levels. This conclusion is backed by thousands of national studies. Given the opportunity, education and training pave a path out of poverty for many families.

Five years ago when welfare was reformed, recipients were discouraged and even prevented from earning a higher degree. Since 1996, the City University of New York experienced annual declines in the number of students who were welfare recipients, from a high of 22,000 students in 1996 to only 5,000 welfare students in 2000. As soon as welfare reform passed, some recipients were even kicked out of school, some only a few months from graduation. What improved condition worthy of the name of reform would create barriers to a college degree?

Kucinich believes that Congress should allow and encourage people to obtain career training; work toward a college degree, GED, or other degree; or learn English. It should create exemptions from time limits so welfare recipients aren't prevented from earning a college degree. If an individual has a bachelor's degree, the average yearly wage is $30,730, nearly three times as much as the $11,432 that non-degree employees earn. A college degree translates to a living-wage job that allows people to live self-sufficiently and move from welfare programs for good.

Kucinich believes that Congress should allow home child care to count as an allowable work activity. For women on welfare, child care during evening and weekend hours is notoriously difficult to find and is too costly for a welfare recipient. In 1998, 43 states reported waiting lists for child care, and only 12 percent of those eligible for child care are getting it. Not only does it make practical sense to allow mothers to take care of their own children; it makes sense for families to stay together.

AN EXCERPT FROM A MEETING WITH THE NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE:

Announcer: OK. My final question. President Bush was here today. He said that equal education is one of the most pressing civil rights issues of our day. What programs would you create to address this problem.

Candidate Kucinich: Well, it would have been good if, when the President said that, that he would have remembered that when his last budget came out, it cut the No Child Left Behind Act by ten billion dollars. Now if you're going to talk the talk, walk the walk. And the President hasn't done that.

And as the next President, I've indicated earlier that we have the money. To have universal pre-kindergarten. Our children 3, 4, and 5 can have fully paid day care. Can have reading skills that they learn. Can have nutrition programs. Can have social skills and educational skills that are developed. We have to look at that early development, because that's what gives our children a chance to be lifted up. The money is THERE.

We have to cut the Pentagon budget. I'm the only candidate who has taken up this issue over and over again about cutting the Pentagon budget and getting the money for universal pre-kindergarten.

Finally, on the issue of college. Do you know that there are 12 million young Americans who attend public institutions, colleges, and universities? They pay an average of four thousand dollars a year. Now, you multiply that, it's 48 billion dollars a year.

This tax cut of the President's amounts to 155 billion dollars a year. For less than a third of the present tax cut you could have universal college for our young people. It's time to make education a priority.

One final word. When I walk up to vote every day in the House of Representatives, there is a statue of a woman whose arm is outstretched, and she's protecting a child who is blissfully sitting on top of a pile of books. And the title of that statue is called, "Peace Protecting Genius."

Not with nuclear arms, but with the arms of love is the child, Genius, protected. We need to work for peace. And as we do that, that is the path to restoring this country to a new era where we have health care for all, education for all, jobs for all, and hope for all.