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Steve Daines on Education |
The federal government plays a limited but important role in education, especially in helping states and local governments serve disadvantaged students and those with disabilities. As I meet with educators in Montana, they seem to share a concern about "one size fits all" metrics that currently dictate federal funding as part of No Child Left Behind. While well-intended, these metrics are difficult for rural areas to achieve. As Congress works to strengthen No Child Left Behind, I will fight to ensure that all of Montana's education needs are met. As part of this effort, I will push for expanding school choice so that more parents can send their children to a high-performing school where public schools are poor.
Congressional Summary:Authorizes the Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to award grants for qualified sexual risk avoidance education to youth and their parents. Requires such education to meet certain criteria, including:
Opponent`s argument against bill: (Nick Wing on Huffington Post) How much could it cost to keep teenagers from having sex? More than $100 million per year over the course of five years would be a good starting place, according to the Abstinence Education Reallocation Act. The bill seeks to award $550 million in Affordable Care Act grants over five years to programs that provide teenagers with abstinence-only education.
The abstinence-only effort stands as an effective counter to the Democratic-backed Real Education for Healthy Youth Act. Introduced the same day as the Abstinence Education Reallocation Act, the bill seeks to `expand comprehensive sex education programs in schools and ensure that federal funds are spent on effective, age-appropriate, medically accurate programs.` The legislation would also set down guidelines calling for sexual health programs that receive federal funding to feature LGBT-inclusive language on a variety of issues, reject gender stereotypes and provide accurate information about HIV.
Congressional summary:: Strongly denouncing the President`s coercion of States into adopting the Common Core State Standards by conferring preferences in Federal grants:
Opponent`s argument against (CoreStandards.org): The Common Core State Standards provide a consistent, clear understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what they need to do to help them. 45 states have adopted the Common Core State Standards [not adopted in TX, NE, AK, MN, and VA]. The nation`s governors and education commissioners, through their representative organizations the National Governors Association (NGA) and the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) led the development of the Common Core State Standards and continue to lead the initiative. Teachers, parents, school administrators and experts from across the country together with state leaders provided input into the development of the standards.