My grandpa worked 1,500 feet underground in the iron ore mines of Northern Minnesota. He never graduated from high school, but he saved money in a coffee can in the basement to send my dad to college. My dad graduated from Vermilion Community College, which was then known as Ely Junior College, and earned his journalism degree from the University of Minnesota. He went on to be a sports reporter and a newspaper columnist. My mom, who grew up in Milwaukee, was a public school teacher who taught second grade until she was 70 years old. I learned the value of education from my parents and grandparents.
My story is shared by many Americans. We must now carry on that tradition by providing all Minnesota families with the educational opportunities they need to succeed in the twenty-first-century economy—from early education to science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) classes, to apprenticeships, training and credential programs, to community and technical colleges, four-year universities, and beyond. A good education should be the basic right of every child. It is certainly one of the very best investments we can make in our future as a nation. Minnesota’s belief in the value of education is reflected in the strong support we have given our schools and higher education institutions over the years. We have always believed that investing in education pays extraordinary dividends. Not only does it pay off for the student, but it pays off for the rest of us by creating a more productive workforce and better-informed citizens.
I have worked to ensure that we support our kids and strengthen our commitment to providing adequate funding for our schools. Gaps in access to broadband and reliable technology have heightened the learning challenges faced by many students, with nearly 12 percent of Minnesota households lacking access to broadband at sufficient speeds. That’s why I made sure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included provisions based on my legislation to bring high-speed internet to every student, and Minnesota is receiving a game-changing grant of more than $650 million to deliver on that for the students in our state.
The rising cost of college and the burden of student loans continue to be a challenge for our students and their families. College tuition and fees have been rising more rapidly than household income over the past two decades. We must do more to expand higher education opportunities and make college more affordable for all students. We must also invest in community and technical colleges, apprenticeships, and training and credential programs to ensure we are preparing people for the jobs of tomorrow that our businesses are creating today.
At a time when our global economy demands more from our workforce, we must focus more than ever on the foundation of our future prosperity: education.
As Minnesota's U.S. senator, I will continue to focus on these priorities:
- Supporting K-12 Education. Every child in Minnesota and across America deserves a good education. That is why I am working to strengthen our commitment to fully funding our schools. I have consistently fought for our nation’s public schools and strongly supported the Every Student Succeeds Act, which was signed into law in 2015. This landmark legislation made important changes to our nation’s education system and corrected some of the shortcomings of No Child Left Behind, including by giving states and local school districts more flexibility in how they meet the needs of their students.
- Expanding higher education opportunities. Minnesotans have always believed that every student should have the opportunity to pursue higher education. The cost of college has almost tripled over the past 20 years. Sixty-four percent of Minnesota college students graduate with debt—the fifth highest in the U.S.—and student loan borrowers hold an average of $32,000 in debt upon graduation. At a time when many jobs require some form of higher education, we simply cannot allow soaring costs to be a barrier to opportunity. I am fighting for stronger federal support for higher education opportunities and making sure institutions of higher education adequately inform students about student loan obligations—because our future success as a state and a nation depends on making sure that quality education is accessible and affordable.
- Strengthening our commitment to one- and two-year degrees at community and technical colleges. From paper mills to poultry lines, American industry is changing. Increasingly, economic success depends on advanced technology and workers who have specialized skills to get the job done. In a Minnesota 2023 State of Manufacturing report, 8 out of 10 manufacturers said it was difficult for them to find workers with the right skills and experience. This is up from 4 out of 10 in 2010. We must do a better job of preparing students for the jobs that will be available to them when they graduate—positions that may not require a Ph.D. or even a four-year degree, but nonetheless demand specialized training and experience. Credentials and one- and two-year degrees offered by community and technical colleges may often be a better option for students who plan on entering the skilled workforce immediately after graduation. We must make these degrees a more central focus of our higher education system. America’s future economic prosperity depends on it.
- Investing in apprenticeships. We need to make sure that no good job goes unfilled because workers aren’t getting the right training. One proven way to close the skills gap is to utilize highly effective training models like registered apprenticeships. Registered apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with relevant academic instruction to create a win-win situation for workers and employers in all industries. Minnesota has a strong apprenticeship program with more than 12,000 registered apprentices in in-demand occupations like advanced manufacturing, agriculture, information technology, and health care. We need to help states create and expand registered apprenticeships and pre-apprenticeship programs that bring together schools and employers across the country.
- Increasing our focus on STEM education. To continue our global leadership in science and technology research and development, American students must receive the best training and education to compete with students in growing economies around the world. Our economic future depends on a highly-skilled and competitive workforce. We must do everything we can to encourage and support our students to study math and science. This begins with a greater focus on science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in the classroom—the subjects that are essential to building an innovation economy.
- Promoting early childhood education. Every time we invest in our children’s education, it pays dividends for our nation’s prosperity and competitive standing in the world. High-quality early care and education can improve child outcomes, ease the burden on public resources, and increase future productivity and growth of a child. A 2016 study from a Nobel Prize-winning economist found that high-quality early childhood development programs deliver a high return on investment of 13 percent per year.
- Fully supporting education for those with disabilities. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) includes specific requirements to ensure that students with disabilities receive the services they need to achieve their educational goals but the commitment to fully fund the IDEA has never been met. School districts are being forced to redirect more and more resources from their general education budgets to cover the shortfall—which was projected to be over $750 million in Minnesota during the 2023-2024 school year. This practice hurts all students. I support fully funding IDEA to help students with disabilities receive the services and support they need, and I am working to make sure the federal government lives up to its promise to support education for those with disabilities.
- Reducing the education achievement gap. To ensure that all Minnesota families have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in the 21st century economy, we must reduce the educational achievement gap. I strongly supported the Every Student Succeeds Act, legislation that requires each state to develop a plan that sets targets to close these gaps. Minnesota’s plan, which received federal approval in January of 2018, includes specific initiatives to provide for equal educational opportunities for all students, including students living in poverty, students of color, American Indian students, students learning English, and students with disabilities.
- Closing the gap in student internet access. Estimates have shown that nearly 17 million K-12 students—many of them in rural areas—do not have access to a broadband connection at home. With nearly 12 percent of Minnesota households lacking access to broadband at sufficient speeds, many students cannot reliably participate in virtual learning opportunities or access online resources to complete assignments. I made sure the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law included $65 billion for broadband infrastructure based on legislation I introduced with Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina to bring high-speed internet to every student in America. Minnesota will be receiving a game-changing grant of more than $650 million for broadband projects over the next five years.
- Giving our schools and teachers real support, not empty promises. On December 10, 2015, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) was signed into law. I supported and advocated for this historic piece of legislation, which made substantive and long-overdue changes to our nation’s education system. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 was intended to improve the performance of our schools by increasing accountability for states, school districts, and schools. In exchange for their commitment to reform, states were promised funding necessary to fulfill these new requirements. Instead, unfortunately, No Child Left Behind turned into another underfunded federal mandate. ESSA corrected some of the shortcomings of No Child Left Behind by giving states and local school districts more flexibility to make decisions about how best to meet students’ needs. ESSA ended the federal test-based system of No Child Left Behind, restoring the responsibility to states to determine how best to use federally required tests for accountability purposes. The law also included three of my provisions to improve education in Minnesota. My provisions expanded STEM opportunities, improved teacher and principal retention, and reduced chronic absenteeism.
- Guaranteeing high standards and accountability in education in a way that reflects students' real talents and real progress. Schools need to be held to the highest benchmarks, and I support national testing standards, but measuring progress must also be realistic and fair. I am also committed to examining ways we can provide a more comprehensive and valid assessment for students with disabilities and English language learners.
As Minnesota's U.S. senator, I’ve been working to ensure all our students have the educational opportunities they need to succeed in the 21st century economy:
- Supporting K-12 education. I am working to strengthen our commitment to our schools. I believe it is critical that young people learn the skills they need to get good jobs in our 21st-century economy. The Every Student Succeeds Act included my provisions to help states expand science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) opportunities at their schools; combat chronic absenteeism; and improve teacher and principal retention. I also helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, which was signed into law in August 2022 and provides new funding for STEM education and workforce development that will equip students with the skills they need to pursue careers in high-demand fields. Gaps in access to broadband and reliable technology have heightened the learning challenges faced by many students. With nearly 12 percent of Minnesota households lacking access to broadband at sufficient speeds, many students cannot reliably participate in virtual learning opportunities or access online resources to complete assignments. As co-chair of the bipartisan Senate Broadband Caucus, I led the effort to include in the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act major funding to help bring high-speed internet to every family in America. I also introduced the bipartisan Keeping Critical Connections Act to close gaps in broadband access by helping small broadband providers continue to offer internet services to students.
- Making education more affordable by:
- Helping students with loan rates and repayment. I continue to support measures to make college more affordable. I worked to pass the College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which created the income-based repayment plan and the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) program. PSLF has helped more than 940,000 public servants, nonprofit workers, and military service members have their student loans forgiven since 2021. I have also supported improvements to the federal student loan program and was pleased to see the Department of Education fix issues with the income-driven repayment program to ensure all borrowers have an accurate count of their qualified monthly payments. With this fix, more than 1 million borrowers met the 20 or 25 years of monthly payments they needed under the program to have their remaining balances forgiven—including over 17,600 Minnesotans. In addition, the Department of Education has proposed an income-driven repayment plan that would cut payments on undergraduate loans in half.
I also worked to pass a law removing private lenders from the federal student loan system, which saved taxpayers nearly $68 billion and expanded Pell Grants. I supported the American Opportunity Tax Credit, which now saves middle-class families up to $2,500 a year on college tuition, and legislation that would allow student loan borrowers to refinance their student loan debt at lower interest rates. When the interest rate on federally subsidized Stafford student loans was set to double—from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent—on July 1, 2013, I cosponsored the Keep Student Loans Affordable Act and the Student Loan Affordability Act to prevent it from happening. I also worked to prevent the rate from immediately doubling in the Bipartisan Student Loan Certainty Act that was signed into law in 2013. - Expanding Pell Grants. It’s critical we raise the value of Pell Grants and continue to make more students eligible for these awards. In 2022, we secured a $500 increase to the maximum Pell Grant award, which builds on the $400 increase made in 2021 and is another step toward doubling the maximum Pell Grant. In 2020, we successfully expanded Pell Grant eligibility for an additional 1.7 million Americans and restored Pell Grant access for incarcerated people. I also cosponsored the Year-Round Pell Grant Restoration Act—passed in the 2017 spending bill—which restores eligibility for students to apply for Pell grants for summer classes, helping students who do not follow the traditional four-year college path afford higher education. I also support indexing the Pell Grant levels to inflation, allowing Pell Grants to be used toward high-quality, short-term training programs, and expanding eligibility to families to open more doors to higher education for more low- and middle-income students.
- Providing tuition-free access to two-year community, technical, and tribal colleges. I cosponsored and advocated for the America’s College Promise Act to create a federal-state partnership that pays for two tuition-free years of school for students in community, technical, or tribal college programs that lead to an associate’s degree, an industry-recognized credential, or credits that are fully transferable to a four-year institution. I also joined Senators Hickenlooper, Fischer, Young, Baldwin, and Wicker in introducing the bipartisan Community College Agriculture Advancement Act to boost resources for agriculture programs—including apprenticeships—at community and technical colleges and help more people access the education and skills they need to keep our agricultural workforce strong.
- Creating opportunities for training and credential programs. To help people develop skills they need for high-demand careers, I introduced bipartisan legislation with Senator Braun of Indiana to transform tax-advantaged “college savings plans” into “career savings plans,” allowing taxpayers to use these accounts for skills training, apprenticeships, and credential programs in addition to two-year and four-year college degrees.
- Expanding access to higher education for low-income and first-generation students. I have been a strong supporter of federal TRIO programs that continue to provide fundamental support to low-income and first-generation students across Minnesota as they prepare to attend college. I have also been supportive of efforts to simplify the FAFSA form to ensure applying for federal student aid does not serve as a barrier to access to higher education.
- Protect student borrowers and improve student financial literacy. I introduced the Empowering Student Borrowers Act to help students understand the financial implications of student loan debt. Key provisions of this legislation, which were signed into law in May 2018, require institutions of higher education to notify students of their total loan obligations, expected monthly payment, and estimated interest rate, and require the Administration to establish best practices for schools to teach financial literacy to students. I support legislation to make it easier for students and their families to understand financial aid offers and help community-based nonprofits provide assistance to students struggling with student loan debt.
- Providing our students the training and skills they need to compete in the global economy by:
- Boosting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education. I passed key provisions of my Innovate America Act—introduced with Senator John Hoeven of North Dakota—to allow states to award funding to create or enhance a STEM-focused specialty school or a STEM program within a school as part of the Every Student Succeeds Act in 2015. I also helped pass into law the America COMPETES Act of 2007, which increases support for math and science education and new technology initiatives. We passed major reauthorizations of this legislation in 2010 and 2016, including my provisions to require the Director of the National Science Foundation to consider recommendations from organizations representing underrepresented groups for the STEM Education Advisory Panel and allow for research to better understand factors relevant to the retention of STEM teachers from underrepresented groups, including women and minorities. I led bipartisan legislation with Senator Marco Rubio of Florida to encourage veterans and military spouses to pursue careers in STEM fields that was signed into law in February 2020. In 2022, I helped pass the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides new funding for STEM education and workforce development that will equip the next generation with the skills they need to pursue careers in high-demand fields. I will continue to push for policies that strengthen our nation’s commitment to remaining competitive in the global marketplace.
- Making it easier to participate in apprenticeships. I have introduced the bipartisan American Apprenticeship Act with Senator Susan Collins of Maine to help workers obtain industry-relevant classroom instruction in order to close the skills gap. The legislation would provide funding to states for the creation or expansion of tuition assistance programs that benefit participants in pre-apprenticeship and registered apprenticeship programs. I also joined Senators Hickenlooper, Fischer, Young, Baldwin, and Wicker in introducing the bipartisan Community College Agriculture Advancement Act to boost resources for agriculture programs—including apprenticeships—at community and technical colleges and help more people access the education and skills they need to keep our agricultural workforce strong. Apprenticeships combine on-the-job training with relevant academic instruction to create a win-win situation for workers and employers in all industries. For workers, registered apprenticeships provide an opportunity to stay in the labor market, earn a living wage, and pursue a nationally recognized credential, making apprenticeships one of the most cost-efficient workforce development tools. For employers, registered apprenticeships provide a workforce trained for their needs, reduced turnover, and improved safety outcomes, giving American businesses an edge in the global marketplace. Though evidence indicates that the apprenticeship model is a highly effective training model, it is not widely used by American workers or employers. That needs to change.
- Diversifying our technical workforce. I am co-chair of the Diversifying Tech Caucus with Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina and Senator Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. This caucus is aimed at working on policies that increase the representation of women, minorities, and veterans in the tech sector. I am also co-chair of the Women’s High Tech Coalition. Minnesota has always been a national leader in innovation. We will stay on the cutting edge of innovation only by fostering and tapping the creativity and ingenuity of all Americans. My bipartisan Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act and Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act —signed into law in February 2017—expands National Science Foundation efforts to recruit and support women in STEM fields as they commercialize their research and authorize the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator to encourage women to study STEM and pursue careers in aerospace through NASA initiatives.
- Reducing the education achievement gap by supporting early childhood education opportunities and child care. By age 5, children’s earliest interactions and environments shape much of their cognitive and character development, which is why targeted, high-quality investments in young children are so crucial for lifelong success. To help provide a strong early start for the youngest members of our state, I cosponsored the Child Care for Working Families Act, which would expand access to high-quality preschool and child care, improve training and resources for early childhood teachers and caregivers, and prioritize the challenges experienced by parents who work non-traditional hours, children with disabilities, and rural areas. I also cosponsor the FAMILY Act to create a permanent paid family and medical leave program for workers to receive up to 12 weeks of paid leave. I introduced the bipartisan Child Care Workforce and Facilities Act with Senator Sullivan of Alaska to address shortages of affordable, quality child care options in our state by supporting programs to expand the child care workforce. The legislation would also support building, renovating, and expanding child care facilities to ensure children have safe and healthy environments to learn and play in. I fought for Minnesota to receive the Race to the Top – Early Learning Challenge grant, which provided $45 million to improve the quality of early learning and development programs serving high-need children across our state. I also supported the Strong Start for America’s Children Act, which expands and improves early learning opportunities for children from birth to age five, and the bipartisan Head Start for School Readiness Act, which was signed into law in 2007 to ensure that children are prepared when they enter school. In March 2024, we increased funding for Head Start and the Child Care and Development Block Grant programs to expand access to affordable, high-quality child care options.
- Increasing education funding for students with disabilities. I support fully funding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to help students with disabilities receive the services and support they need, and I am a cosponsor of legislation to put Congress on a fiscally responsible path to fully fund this critical law. I supported significant increases in IDEA grants to states to help students with disabilities receive the services they need to achieve their educational goals and to begin reducing the burden on school districts that have had to redirect resources from their general education budgets to cover the shortfall in education funding for those with disabilities.
- Ensuring that students can connect to the internet. Broadband is critical to access everything from education to health care to economic opportunity. Just ask the high school student who had to drive 40 minutes from home to a liquor store parking lot to take her online biology quizzes.
With nearly 17 million K-12 students lacking a broadband connection at home, I introduced a bill in 2020 to deliver high-speed internet to every zip code in America. It was ultimately included in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and Minnesota will be receiving a game-changing grant of more than $650 million for broadband projects over the next five years.
I have also urged the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to take action to ensure that all K-12 students can access critical internet services so that they can continue to learn. I also introduced the bipartisan Keeping Critical Connections Act with Senator Cramer of North Dakota to help ensure that small broadband providers can continue to provide internet services for students and low-income families. In December 2020, several of my key broadband priorities were included in the year-end omnibus signed into law. One of these provisions included funding to ensure college students with the greatest financial need have access to high-speed internet, based on my bill, the Supporting Connectivity for Higher Education Students in Need Act with Senators Hirono, Peters, and Rosen. Funding from this program benefited students across 93 higher education communities in more than 30 states including Minnesota. - Supporting teachers in the classroom by enacting major changes to No Child Left Behind. In 2012, I successfully fought for Minnesota’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act waiver, which gave our state greater flexibility around certain No Child Left Behind goals. I supported the Every Student Succeeds Act —signed into law in December 2015—which ends the federal test-based system of No Child Left Behind, restoring the responsibility to states to determine how best to use federally-required tests for accountability purposes. The law also includes my provision to add improving teacher retention to the criteria for professional development grants that the Department of Education awards to Indian schools. Inadequate professional development and the lack of ongoing support are key reasons why some teachers and principals leave the profession, leading to instability and added costs of rehiring and retraining for schools and school districts. My provision also allows activities and programs that help reduce turnover and improve teacher and principal retention, such as mentoring programs, more robust intervention in the early years of a teacher’s career, and involvement from tribal elders and community members.