Education

The federal government should empower schools, administrators, and teachers to create local strategies that best prepare students to succeed in a global, high-tech economy; not mandate, one-size-fits all regulations. As governor of North Dakota and now as a U.S. Senator, I have supported policies to ensure accountability in education is coupled with adequate local flexibility.

In order to prepare our students to compete, we need to ensure that our teachers have access to the necessary resources and professional development. The future of our nation and our ability to compete in a global economy will depend on solid science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education, training, and research. I am a member of the Senate STEM Education Caucus and the Senate Career and Technical Education Caucus, and I sponsored the Innovate America Act, which would increase the number of STEM schools and place increased emphasis on developing STEM education.