EDUCATION

Senator Levin has worked consistently to make the federal government an effective partner in helping Michigan communities meet new and growing challenges to our public education system.

In 1979, his first year in the Senate, Senator Levin supported congressional efforts to create the U.S. Department of Education, making it a cabinet level agency, with a mission to ensure equal access to education and to promote educational excellence throughout our nation's schools. Today, the department's elementary and secondary programs serve over 15,000 school districts and more than 50 million students attending over 92,000 public schools. The department also provides grants, loans and work-study assistance to more than eight million higher education students.

In the early 1980s, the quality of education became a heated national issue, prompted in part by the 1983 release of "A Nation At Risk," a federally sponsored report that cautioned us on the condition of American schools. Congress responded by keeping public attention on school reform, providing school improvement grants, and by increasing support for educationally disadvantaged students and the Eisenhower teacher professional development program.

In 1989, a bipartisan group of governors agreed to a set of national education goals to guide local, state and national school improvement efforts. By the 1990s, a movement had emerged to reform schools by setting higher standards for student learning in academic subjects. The federal government made grants to national organizations to develop model national standards in science, history and other core subjects.

In 1994, Congress strengthened federal education laws to spur reform, particularly in low-performing schools, by passing the "Goals 2000: Educate America Act." The act provided the resources to support the efforts of states and local communities to develop and implement their own reforms to improve their schools, while making sure students who needed the most help, received it.

The Senate adopted several of Senator Levin’s proposals to help meet this challenge, including his amendments to permit the use of school improvement funds for proven initiatives, such as Significantly Reduced Class Size (enhancing the teacher's ability to identify student learning needs), Intergenerational Mentoring and Tutoring (matching the academic and other talents of senior citizens with the needs of students), and Instruction in Chess (develops high order thinking skills, discipline and increased math skills).

By the mid-to-late 1990s significant gains were made; nearly all the states and many school districts had raised their academic standards. However, findings in the late 1990s showed that some states had lost ground. In an effort to regain this lost ground and to respond to new challenges, Congress, through the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, worked to further improve America’s public education system.

On December 18, 2001, the Senate approved the first major overhaul of the nation's education policy since 1994 as it voted overwhelmingly to use federal aid to leverage improvements in academic achievement. This bill, the No Child Left Behind Act, was signed into law on January 8, 2002.

The No Child Left Behind Act is intended to help all students make progress toward reaching their full potential.  Senator Levin, however, has concerns about the testing provisions in this law. He believes Congress must continue to monitor the impact of these provisions on students. In addition, during the Bush Administration, Senator Levin had serious concerns about the way that the Administration was implementing this law.  Rather than helping every school system achieve the laudable goal of providing a high quality education to all of our children, the Administration turned the No Child Left Behind Act into an unfunded mandate.

In his first budget following enactment of this law on January 8, 2002, President Bush requested $7 billion less than what the No Child Left Behind Act authorized. In the years since, the Bush Administration's subsequent budgets for No Child Left Behind did not substantially improve.  For example, President Bush’s Fiscal Year 2007 (FY07) budget funded the No Child Left Behind Act some $15.4 billion below the authorized level and proposed the elimination of numerous education initiatives that are proven learning and teaching tools for our schools.  This signified the largest cut to education in the history of the Education Department.

Senator Levin believes that we must provide adequate resources that focus on initiatives that we know are effective in achieving academic improvement, such as smaller class size; after-school programs; technology and technology training for teachers; targeting resources to Title I for educationally disadvantaged students; support for students with limited English proficiency; an expanded reading program; a strong Safe and Drug Free Schools program; high-quality professional development activities; and guarantees of a quality education for homeless children.

Access to higher education is increasingly important in a competitive, global economy where training beyond a high school education is frequently required. Senator Levin believes that the Federal government is and has been an effective partner in helping students and families nationwide to meet new and growing challenges in meeting college cost.   On average, a student who earns a bachelor’s degree will earn 70 percent more annually than a student who has only a high school diploma. 

Senator Levin has voted for the College Cost Reduction and Access Act of 2007, which represented the single largest federal investment in higher education since the GI Bill and includes an additional $20 billion in college aid.  This was a great victory for Michigan students and families and for many across the nation.  Michigan received over $80 million in new assistance above the $429.8 million it received during the 2007 – 2008 academic school year. 

This legislation also raised the maximum Pell Grant award from $4,050 to $5,100 in 2008 and raised the income level limit below which a student is eligible for the maximum Pell grant.  In addition, it limited monthly student loan payments, provided loan forgiveness for borrowers who commit to public service, and simplified the financial aid process. 

Finally, this legislation reformed the student loan system to ease the burden of debt on student borrowers.  Interest rates were cut in half, from the current 6.8% to 3.4% for undergraduate students with subsidized loans; and monthly student loan payments are limited to no more than 15% of the borrower’s discretionary income, as of July 2009. For graduates with careers in public service, such as teaching, nursing, and law enforcement, the balance of federal student loans will be forgiven after 10 years of service.

Senator Levin also voted for the Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2007, which revised and improved the Higher Education Act.  Among other things, this legislation set the maximum Pell Grant award at $6,000 for the 2009-2010 academic school year, $6,400 for the 2010-2011 academic year, increasing to a maximum of $8,000 for the 2014-2015 academic year. 

In addition, Senator Levin joined President Obama in continuing to make significant investments towards college affordability and elementary and secondary education improvement programs.  The American Reinvestment and Recovery Act which was signed into law in February, 2009, provided $15.84 billion for student financial assistance, and a new “American Opportunity” tax credit of up to $2,500 of the cost of tuition and related expenses. Under this new tax credit, taxpayers will receive a tax credit based on 100% of the first $2,000 of tuition and related expenses (including books) paid during the taxable year and twenty-five percent of the next $2,000 of tuition and related expenses paid during the taxable year. Forty percent of the credit would be refundable.

The tax credit will be subject to a phase-out for taxpayers with adjusted gross income in excess of $80,000 ($160,000 for married couples filing jointly).  This new law also provides an additional $13 billion for K -12 programs under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act; and $12.2 billion for special education programs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, representing a 27 percent increase of the Federal share of special education services – the highest level since the inception of the program.

In February 2009, President Obama released an outline of his FY 10 budget and it reflects his commitment to education excellence. It proposes to improve assessment systems for K-12 education, expand successful performance pay programs, professional development, and mentoring for teachers, as well as support the development of a national strategy to address high school dropout rates.  Among other things, the President’s budget proposes to restructure and expand financial aid programs, index the Pell Grant award to inflation, simplify the Federal Application for Student Aid process, and invest in community colleges.

Senator Levin looks with great anticipation to the deliberations in the months ahead on advancing an education agenda that contributes to the success of students in Michigan and all across America.