A well-educated country yields endless rewards: a better workforce, a stronger economy, and lower crime, to name a few. It must be our goal to have the best public education system in the country, and although local communities and parents clearly have the biggest role to play in educating children, I am proud to be a partner in those efforts.

We need an innovative new approach to public education, one that focuses on results instead of process. Vigorous standards and holding schools accountable for meeting those standards is imperative to ensuring our children are prepared for the 21st Century. I also support freeing local schools from the unnecessary red tape and regulation that often accompanies federal funding.

At the same time, we cannot abandon our commitment to K-12 public education. I support increased funding for local schools and more efficient methods of sending federal dollars to local classrooms, so that the children who need the extra boost of federal funding receive it.

Here in the Ninth District, the Tacoma School District has implemented tough promotion standards. The Auburn School District has established standards for writing, listening, and mathematics, and met its accountability goals in 2000. My own alma mater of Tyee High School in the Highline School District has worked with the community and given students the opportunity to experience the world of work and explore career pathways through the Academy of Information Technology and the Academy of Travel and Tourism. I look forward to continuing to support these and other innovative local efforts.

Higher education is also extremely important to the success of our nation. I am proud of the strong tradition of high quality higher education offered to Washingtonians, from the University of Washington to Bates Technical College. We need to ensure that students continue to have access to higher education, including financial aid such as student loans and grants, and enough slots at the schools to accept them.