Education

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

• Helped draft the Protecting America’s Competitive Edge Act (PACE), a package of bills that will improve the investment in current and future math and science teachers and K-12 students, work to attract bright international students, and invest in research
• Introduced the Quality Education for All Act, which will make needed changes to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), including fully funding NCLB to ensure schools are given the means to meet federal requirements
• Secured funding for education programs important to Hispanic communities, including $7.65 million English language acquisition programs and $4.95 million for Hispanic Serving Institutions
• Drafted legislation that would will acknowledge and support the Head Start program to promote early childhood development in addition to safety
• Passed an amendment to set aside an additional $7 million for Advanced Placement
• Brings together high school students and teachers in cities throughout the state to participate in in-depth seminars on major issues, including education, juvenile justice, foreign affairs, environment, health, and economic development
• Secured funding for dropout prevention initiatives and serves as a leader on the issue of school dropout prevention. His efforts resulted in school dropout prevention being a critical component of No Child Left Behind, with grants provided to state and local school districts to support initiatives aimed at preventing dropouts
• Persuaded the U.S. Department of Education to create the Hispanic Dropout Project. The findings of the Hispanic Dropout Project were later used as part of the basis for the President’s Hispanic Education Action Plan
• Wrote the law creating a special office within the U.S. Department of Education to focus attention on this issue
• Introduced bipartisan legislation to expand the Hope Scholarship tax credit
• Helped secure increased funding for Tribally-Controlled Colleges through the Higher Education Act. In New Mexico, the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (SIPI), Crownpoint, and Diné College all benefit from this funding
• Wrote a provision in the Higher Education Act to strengthen GEAR UP (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) – a bill aimed at improving students’ academic readiness, particularly students who are the first in their families to go to college
• Introduced legislation designed to expand and enhance post baccalaureate opportunities at Hispanic-Serving institutions
  

POLICY THEMES

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