Head Start | Elementary and Secondary Education | Arts and Science | Making Higher Education Affordable |

As the proud parent of two young children, I am a strong supporter of early childhood education programs and improved education throughout a lifetime of learning -- from grade school to college and beyond. Ensuring the success of our nation's future rests on the education and success of our youth. Every child in America should have access to quality education and safe schools. I am committed to improving our nation's public school system and ensuring public school choice, and dedicate much of my work in Congress to this effort.

The Head Start Program

Since 1965, Head Start has helped more than 18 million low-income pre-school children with a wide range of important early educational and health services. This is why I have offered an amendment to H.R.2210 (108th), School Readiness Act, which would expand the successful Head Start program to include more students. Currently, enrollment eligibility for Head Start only allows for children that fall at 100% of the federal poverty guideline - $18,400 for a family of four.

My amendment would expand enrollment eligibility to include children whose families earn up to 150% of the federal poverty guideline - $27,600 for a family of four. This would raise the Head Start eligibility criteria to a level at or near the levels of several other federal programs. For example, the State Children's Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP) and Medicaid enroll children whose families earn at least up to 200% of the federal poverty guideline and 133% of the federal poverty guideline, respectively. In California, families with incomes of up to 250% of the federal guideline are eligible for enrollment in SCHIP.

In addition, I introduced H.R. 1201, along with 41 cosponsors during the 107th Congress. This bill, the Reading Readiness Act, was designed to identify and encourage best practices in early literacy in all Head Start programs. While the role of literacy has been evolving, this bill would have ensured the strongest reading readiness components are in place in all Head Start programs to promote success in a lifetime of learning.

To read more about Rep. Schiff's efforts to expand Head Start, click here.

Elementary and Secondary Education

I periodically hold town hall meetings with local high school students and I enjoy hearing their concerns, engaging them in discussion, and answering their questions.

Improving Schools

• I am a proud cosponsor of H.R. 236 (108th), the Student Bill of Rights Act, to require the Secretary of Education to determine annually whether each State’s public education system has fulfilled its obligation to its students. H.R. 236 outlines this obligation as providing each and every student with the tools to become a responsible citizen, to meet the demands of high academic standards, and to flourish in our global economy by supplying basic educational opportunity at each elementary and secondary school and by assisting disadvantaged students and school districts and ensuring equity throughout the system.
• H.R. 345 (107th), the "Three R's" bill, was a proposed comprehensive reform of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Since I was an original cosponsor of this legislation, I was pleased that many of H.R. 345's provisions were included in H.R. 1 (107th), the No Child Left Behind Act, which I also supported. This represented a significant bipartisan compromise and was signed into law on January 8, 2002.

The new law included tougher accountability requirements aimed at closing the achievement gap between students of different economic backgrounds; stronger professional development standards and training for teachers; additional resources to turn around low-performing schools; allowances for flexibility for local school districts; and rewards and sanctions for States based on the academic performance of students. It is very important that the Administration stand behind its commitment to fully fund the No Child Left Behind Act.

• I cosponsored H.R. 4599, the National Board-Certified Teachers in Low-Performing Schools Act in the 107th Congress. This bill would have created a pilot project to pay board-certified teachers an annual $5000 stipend for up to four years to teach in a low-performing school and at the same time act as a resident facilitator to help teachers already in the school learn more about Board certification, the standard-based performance levels expected.
• Providing our children with quality education means providing them with quality tools from which to learn. This is why I was a cosponsor of the B.O.O.K. bill, H.R. 4951 (107th). The B.O.O.K. (Building Opportunities for Our Kids) bill would authorize $500 million over the next five years for the purchase of new textbooks for Title I schools throughout the country. It also directed the Secretary of Education to set up a Textbooks Recycling Program. Under this voluntary program, schools that can afford to replace textbooks on a regular basis could donate their books to Title I schools.

Reducing School and Class Size

• H.R. 2571, the Smaller Schools, Stronger Communities Act, would have provided grants to help school districts develop a school size reduction strategy. I believe that smaller school and class sizes will improve the quality of education for our children and for that reason I cosponsored this bill in the 107th Congress.
• I also cosponsored H.R. 1036 (107th), to amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to reduce class size through the use of fully qualified teachers. This bill would have amended the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to establish a grants program to help States and local educational agencies recruit, train, and hire 100,000 additional teachers over a seven-year period in order to: (1) reduce class sizes nationally, in grades one through three, to an average of 18 students per classroom; and (2) improve teaching in the early grades so that all students can learn to read independently by the end of the third grade.

Supporting TRIO Programs

• I support increased funding for the TRIO program which assists low-income families or potential first-generation college students seeking higher education to discover and develop their academic potential and earn post-secondary degrees. In the 107th Congress, I wrote to the House Appropriations Committee, requesting a $150 million increase in funding for this program in an effort to encourage these students to pursue postgraduate education and earn the advanced degrees that will help them to lead America's economy.

Preventing Teacher Shortages through Loan Forgiveness

Teacher shortages are rising to crisis levels in this country. We need to do everything we can to recruit more teachers for our public schools and one way to do that is to help them pay off their student loans.

• In July 2003, I voted in support of legislation to recruit more math, science and special education teachers in California and nationwide. The legislation – the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Act – would expand the loan forgiveness provisions in the Higher Education Act (HEA) for these teachers from $5,000 to $17,500.
• I was an original co-sponsor of H.R. 2765 (107th), the Teachers for Tomorrow Act, which expanded a successful loan forgiveness program by granting 100 percent federal loan forgiveness over five years for all teachers. Forgiveness would have also been granted for continuing education loans, in order for teachers to obtain advanced degrees. Finally, rather than allowing these financial incentives to unfairly push teachers into a higher tax bracket, any loan forgiveness would have been granted tax neutral status.

To read more about Rep. Schiff's position on loan forgiveness for teachers, click here.

Improving Literacy

• Nearly 40 percent of children cannot read at grade-level by the end of the third grade. In disadvantaged communities, this failure rate is 60 percent. Because of this, I cosponsored H.R. 116, the “Book Stamp Act," in the 107th Congress. H.R. 116 would have helped provide children with their own books before they enter school by creating a special postage stamp similar to the breast cancer stamp to create revenues for this program. Nonprofit agencies, such as Reach Out and Read, would have used these funds to distribute books to children.

Teen Outreach to Keep Kids Off the Streets

Violence in our schools is a serious problem that needs our due attention. By focusing on prevention, we can stop the problem before it starts.

• The City of Burbank, through a Middle School Violence Prevention Program, is working to provide activities that contribute to the prevention of violence, reduction of conflict and promotion of a positive experience for middle school students in the Burbank Unified School District. I testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and State to request $150,000 for the City of Burbank's Middle School Violence Prevention Program because I believe this program will make our schools safer and our community stronger.
• I was a co-sponsor of H.R. 1429 (107th), the After School Education and Anti-Crime Act, which improves academic and social outcomes for students and reduces both juvenile crime and the risk that youth will become victims of crime by providing productive activities during after school hours. The bill amends the 21st Century Community Learning Centers Act to extend the maximum grant duration to five years. This bill also revises grant application provisions and allows the use of grant funds to establish or expand community learning centers.
• I helped to secure $62,000 in federal funds for the Glendale Public Library's Homework AssisTeens afterschool program. The Homework AssisTeens program is made up of 5 centers, each staffed with teen homework helpers and is designed to provide homework (math, reading and social studies) and computer assistance for children from elementary school through high school (about 30,000 students attending 20 public schools.
• The most recent survey among YMCA teens shows that 70% had never used alcohol, 80% had never smoked cigarettes, and 85% had never used illegal drugs, which is why I cosponsored H.R. 1822, the YMCA Teen Action Agenda Enhancement Act, in the 107th Congress. This bill would authorize $20 million in matching funds to support new YMCA programs that serve teens most in need of support and guidance. This program would ultimately provide $50 million to the YMCA, as they bolster the federal funding with local and private support.
• In addition, I secured $40,000 in federal funds for afterschool programs at three La Crescenta elementary schools, Valley View, Monte Vista, and Mountain Avenue. The programs will feature art, nature studies, computer clubs, sports, dance, and general recreation activity. Afterschool programs are valuable for the entire community because they provide a safe, supervised setting for children and because they enhance the overall educational experience for our children.
• I also assisted in obtaining $80,000 in federal funding for the Burbank Boys and Girls Club Teen Center Outreach Project.

Meeting the Needs of Every Student

• I am a cosponsor of H.R. 823 (108th), the Full Funding for IDEA Now Act. This legislation amends the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to establish a mandatory minimum level of federal grant payments to States to assist with the education of children with disabilities.
• H.R. 490 (108th), the Instructional Materials Accessibility Act, is essential to ensuring all students have access to equal educational opportunities, which is why I am also a cosponsor of this bill. This legislation requires the development, publication, and disbursement of instructional materials accessibility standards for students who are blind or visually impaired. It would also require that State educational institutions employ statewide policy to ensure that students who are blind or visually impaired have available in special format the same instructional materials as those without these disabilities. This bill also helps to improve the capacity of schools to attain these special formats.
• I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 333 (108th), which would provide grants and other forms of support to specified colleges and universities so they might better serve their Asian American and Pacific Islander populations. Similarly, I am a cosponsor of a similar piece of legislation, H.R. 2238 (108th), which would assist institutions in providing post-baccalaureate opportunities to Hispanic students.
• As many as 1 out of 150 children under the age of 10 may be affected by autism or a related disorder. However, many special education programs in the country do not have qualified professional to effectively teach children affected by autism. That's why I cosponsored H.R. 4728 (107th), the Teacher Education for Autistic Children (TEACH) Act to encourage the Department of Education to train educators, specialists, and administrators who teach students with autism. Further, H.R. 4728 would have provided funds for State Autism Ombudsman Offices that would consist of advocacy groups, family members, and volunteers.

Making Higher Education Affordable
Paying for College Workshops

The Sallie Mae Foundation and I host an annual "Paying for College" workshop in the 29th District. This free workshop allows area high school students and their families to learn how to plan and pay for college. Attendees are also eligible to receive a $500 scholarship toward the cost of higher education.

• I am a cosponsor of H.R. 442 (108th), which allows recipients of the Hope Scholarship Credit to apply the tax credit toward fees, books, supplies, and equipment. Currently, college students can only receive the credit for the cost of tuition and fees. This bill is especially important for California students as many students pay more in books, supplies, etc. than in tuition and fees.
• I support H.R. 501 (108th), Nurse Loan Forgiveness Act, to include nurses who serve at least one year in a designated health care facility in student loan forgiveness and programs. This bill encourages those who might not otherwise be able to complete their training to pursue this needed profession.
• During my first term in Congress, I introduced H.R. 2482 (107th), the Access to Higher Education Act, which would have increased federal financial aid opportunities for students enrolled in California's public colleges. The bill would repeal rules linking Pell Grant awards to the cost of tuition only and increase the eligibility for tuition tax credits. The Pell Grant program currently contains a tuition-sensitivity rule, which limits the award based on the cost of the tuition. Consequently, students attending college where the state has kept tuition relatively low, such as California, do not receive the maximum Pell Grant, although the cost of attending college remains high.