Among the goals I will pursue:

• Maintain high standards. Our state has rightly raised its expectations for what students should know and be able to do at different stages in their education. Those standards must be matched by rigorous assessments that help parents and students themselves understand and improve performance.
• Promote a safe learning environment. We know that children cannot learn in an environment of fear. I support efforts to free students from physical and emotional danger, by keeping guns out of schools, and by ensuring that schools can provide enough counselors to accommodate all students.
• Provide adequate resources. Colorado's schools rank among the least adequately funded in the nation. The costs of special education and other unfunded state and federal mandates - as well as the need to expand literacy and dropout prevention programs - demand a sustained investment.
• Strengthen early childhood education. Science is now confirming what many parents already knew about the importance of enriching a child's first few years of life. Expanding preschool programs and boosting the quality and availability of child care will make it more likely that children come to school ready to learn.