Restoring America's Competitive Edge - Strengthening America's Schools, From Preschool to College

ChrisDodd understands that meeting today's challenges will require the mosteducated generation in this country's history – that in today'sincreasingly global economy, America's leadership, economy, andnational security all rest on our commitment to educating and preparingour people for success.

With the stakes so high, Chris Dodd has spent a lifetimestrengthening America's schools and is now offering the most ambitiousand comprehensive education plan by any Presidential candidate, frompreschool to college.

• The Dodd plan will reduce the cost of college student loans, raise the Pell Grant and provide an opportunity for free community college to every American.
• The Dodd plan will ensure that all Americans have access to a world-class public education.
• Chris Dodd will reform No Child Left Behind to realize the promise of strengthening and supporting every public school.
• The Dodd plan will ensure that every American graduates from high school college- and workforce-ready.

• Ending Corporate Welfare on Student Loans: The Dodd Plan will end the outdated corporate subsidies for banks and increase competition for lower interest rates on student loans by requiring banks to compete in a federally run auction to offer federal student loans. Student loans would become cheaper for taxpayers as lenders auction down the amount of federal subsidy they require to do business. The auction will be regionalized with each auction including a mix of national lenders, regional lenders and nonprofits. The federal auction will generate a minimum of $18 billion in government savings over four years. Savings will be used to provide additional financial aid for students and improve college-readiness.
• Community College for All: The Dodd plan will partner with states to subsidize in-state tuition at public community colleges for students earning credit towards an associate's degree. The Dodd plan will match dollar for dollar any tuition reduction offered by the state up to 50% of the cost of tuition. The one to one match will be based on current tuition levels indexed to a tuition inflation index or the rate of inflation, depending on which is available. To receive the match, states must maintain their level of state appropriations for public community colleges from the year before. If a state agrees to pay half the cost of a community college student's tuition, community college will become free for that student. The federal government will also provide low-cost bonds to community colleges as a means to accommodate more students by expanding their infrastructure.
• Raising the Pell Grant. The Dodd plan will increase the Pell Grant by $100 each year to ensure that qualified, hard working low- and moderate-income students can afford college without taking out an exorbitant amount of student loans. In a Dodd Administration, students will not be shut out of college because of cost.
• Putting a Spotlight on the Skyrocketing Cost of Tuition: A Dodd Administration will use the power of the Presidency to bring to light schools whose tuition unreasonably outpaces inflation. By annually publishing a tuition inflation index and a list of colleges and universities whose tuition exceeds it, Chris Dodd believes we can provide students and families with a better idea of how much they can expect to pay for higher education while encouraging schools to act responsibly.
• Protecting Students from Unscrupulous Lenders: President Dodd would extend new protections to private student loans in order to improve transparency, prevent unfair and deceptive private lending practices and eliminate conflicts of interest. Lenders would be prohibited from using data in their underwriting that may have a disparate impact on the loan products, terms, or conditions available to student borrowers based on race, age, and other personal factors, or the institution they attend. Lenders would be required to provide a clear and concise disclosure of the rate, terms and conditions of a private loan prior to their signing the promissory note. Truth in Lending Act (TILA) provisions would be made applicable to all private student loans. The Federal Reserve would be authorized to implement rules requiring private lenders to report student loan data aggregated by the race, gender, and age of the borrower as well as by type of institution. Federal banking regulators would be given authority to give financial institutions credit under the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) for making "low-cost" private loans to low-income student borrowers. And, private student loans would be dischargeable upon bankruptcy.

• Universal Preschool: The Dodd plan will ensure that every parent has access to high-quality, affordable preschool by creating a Pre-K Incentive Fund that matches state funds -- dollar for dollar-- in providing free, high-quality preschool to 4-year-olds from families with incomes below $50,000 and matches state dollars on a sliding scale thereafter. To receive grants, states would have to adopt developmentally appropriate school-readiness standards and require that lead teachers have a bachelor's degree and training, education, and/or experience in child development or early childhood education within six years. Priority will be given to applications that ensure lead teacher salaries are comparable to K-12 teachers and to applications that assist lead teachers in meeting the bachelor's degree requirement. States will have considerable flexibility to build on their existing preschool programs and use a variety of providers to deliver preschool, including Head Start and child care programs. Federal funds must supplement, not supplant, existing programs. In addition to his preschool initiative, Dodd will increase funding for Head Start and invest in infant and toddler programs.
• Reforming No Child Left Behind: The Dodd plan will reform No Child Left Behind by easing burdens on students, teachers and administrators. Dodd will provide states with the flexibility to use multiple measures to assess student learning-- measures like student improvement over time. The Dodd plan will allow schools to target resources such as tutoring to the students who need them most. Dodd will introduce more common sense into the teacher certification process. And, instead of penalizing public schools that need help, Chris Dodd will invest in them.
• Quality, Experienced Teachers In Every School: The Dodd plan will double the number of nationally board certified teachers and incentivize them to go where they are needed most – low performing, high poverty schools. By paying for the cost of national board certification for any teacher who commits to teach in a high need school for five years and providing them with a salary supplement of $10,000 a year, the Dodd plan will ensure that every school has experienced teachers.
• World-Class Standards: Currently, there are 50 different sets of academic standards in America. As a result of varied standards, America's highly mobile student-aged population moves through the nation's schools gaining widely varying levels of knowledge, skills and preparedness. And yet, in order for the United States to compete in a global economy, we must compete as one nation. World-class K-12 American education standards in math, science and language arts are a first step in maintaining America's economic edge. The Dodd plan would fund the creation of a set of model K-12 American education standards to be adopted voluntarily by states in exchange for additional resources and increased flexibility under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). It is time American students reclaim their position as world leaders in academic excellence.
• Extended Learning: The Dodd plan provides additional dollars to schools that wish to lengthen their school day to extend student learning opportunities. Extended learning will allow schools to spend more time on core academics, and provide additional time to provide a fuller curriculum and enrichment activities in areas such as the arts, technology and service learning. Through a competitive grant program, the Dodd plan will match local or state funds dollar for dollar up to $1300. Participating schools will be required to extend the school day by 30% as a means to add increased core academic instruction, more individualized instruction, enrichment programming for all students especially those at risk, and more planning and professional development time for teachers. Extended time will provide additional opportunities for student learning and benefit working parents.
• Modernizing Schools, Reducing Class Size: To produce high performing students, we need safe and cutting-edge schools. By making $25 billion available for the construction of new schools and the modernization of existing schools, the Dodd plan will ensure that every child goes to school in a state-of-the-art learning environment. The federal government will provide tax credits to bond holders in lieu of interest payments, and the state or school district will only be responsible for paying the principal. Priority will be given to districts that have a greater number or percentage of low-income children, have an immediate need to address safety concerns, are working to reduce class size, or demonstrate a commitment to green technologies.
• Keeping Kids on Track: The Dodd plan will ensure that every 9th grader in America has a graduation plan in place to ensure that they are on-track for college and the workforce from the moment they enter high school. Dodd will provide funds to implement individualized graduation plans for every student, including funds to hire additional guidance counselors and advisors to monitor students' progress throughout high school. Teachers and parents will work with counselors/advisors to develop and carry out each child's plan. As President, Senator Dodd will also call upon every Governor to raise the age of compulsory attendance to 18.
• Virtual Learning: The Dodd Plan offers all public schools a chance to supplement their current course load with advanced or specialized courses online. A Virtual Learning Innovation Fund will grant funds to school districts, states, nonprofits and universities to create and make these courses available. Virtual courses will offer all students, regardless of geographic location, a chance to connect with highly qualified teachers and supplemental course materials while providing a more personalized learning experience. The fund will also set aside dollars for research into how students learn using new technologies via the internet.
• Focusing Philanthropic Efforts: As much as $6 billion is donated every year to public schools by private foundations. President Dodd will create a Council on Education Philanthropy to strategize how private and public dollars can best be leveraged to ensure that American students graduate from high school ready to compete in the global economy. By making the process more efficient, American students and families will reap greater benefits out of every dollar spent.