A strong publicly funded educational system from kindergarten to graduate school is critical not only for a strong future state economy but for thriving communities as well. Access to quality education remains one of the greatest factors bringing about the American dream of upward social mobility, and a good educational systems are keystone to global economic competitiveness. This issue of quality education becomes of considerable concern, as a well publicized report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has indicated that American teenagers are on average now 18th in achievement in the critical areas of math and science among 24 industrialized nations of the world, well behind their peer students in South Korea and most of Western Europe. It is my belief that the challenges of the global economy, growing world population and the global transition from fossil fuels during the next half century will require an investment in education no less than the one we made after Sputnik went beeping through the October sky of 1957.
More money alone or the expansion of educational administrative infrastructures does not necessarily lead to better educated students. Most research studies have shown that the greatest indicator of educational success is the degree of parental involvement and encouragement of their children from preschool to high school. I am deeply committed to the cause of improving the quality of education in Rhode Island by encouraging programs to promote greater parental involvement with teachers at their local schools, as well as simply allowing teachers greater freedom to teach, study, and convey to their students their enthusiasm for life-long learning. Innovative solutions to critically tight school funding might include reducing the number of school districts in the state, similar to the Michigan plan that fostered greater savings by economy of scale, and allowed strategically redeploying recovered funds to the classrooms that are the true ‘front lines’ of education.
I am especially committed to the system of public higher education in Rhode Island composed of its three public institutions with their distinctive individual missions. The Community College of Rhode Island is a critical as a ‘gateway’ to higher education for many in our state. An essential component of higher education is the public research aspect at the University of Rhode Island that is paramount toward building the increasingly knowledge-based economy of the future. By many measures, public higher education and research are seriously underfunded in our state to the point of last-in-the-nation status. I am deeply committed to strengthening URI’s academic programs of teaching, research and service to our state.