There is nothing more important to this country's future than making sure our children have a solid education. America in the 21st century will only be as good as our educational system. As a congressman and a former public school teacher, I have spent much of my life involved in this area. In fact, I often contend that I am still a teacher—I am just on loan to the government. Having a first hand perspective on education has allowed me to work on legislation that can result in straight As for our students. No where are new initiatives in education more important than here on Long Island, where we are fortunate to have some of the best schools in the nation.

The competition for higher paying jobs on a global scale has peaked and a top notch education has become essential for moving ahead. That is why my education agenda has focused on improving the quality of our schools on several levels—modernizing our schools for the 21st century, hiring new and qualified teachers, reducing class size and easing the strain of paying for college tuition.

A recent government study found that one out of every three school in America needs extensive repair or replacement. So, if we want to prepare our children to succeed in this ever changing world, we need modern schools meaning everything from up-to-date science labs to computers in the classroom. That is why I have been involved in legislation entitled the Public School Modernization Act. The measure would provide $19 billion in interest free capital to local school districts including those in our community for school modernization and construction. The bill also creates partnerships between school districts, the business community and local and state governments in order to foster the development of new schools.

I have also been a strong advocate of plans to hire 100,000 new and well-prepared teachers in an effort to reduce class size. Research has shown that small class sizes are the key to raising student achievement. The plan would provide $12.4 billion over seven years to reduce class size in first to third grade from a nationwide average of 22 to 18. The initiative also provides funds to school districts to test new teachers and develop more rigorous teacher testing and certification requirements.

In addition, I continue to oppose so called "social promotions" where students are passed not because they made the grade but because they simply showed up for class or were well behaved during the semester. Students should be held back if they do not understand the material taught in the classroom.

With three children who have recently graduated from college, I know all too well how expensive it is to finance and save for a college education. In an effort to ease the squeeze, I am sponsoring legislation that would create a tax deduction of up to $10,000 per student and up to $20,000 per taxpayer for both undergraduate and graduate school expenses. I also voted for the historic Balanced Budget Agreement (now the law of the land) which created a Hope Scholarship credit that provides up to $1500 of tax relief for a student's first two years of college. The law also creates a Lifetime Learning Credit that provides up to $1,000 in tax cuts for the subsequent years of a student's academic studies.

But education is not only a ticket to better economic opportunities. It is also a way to achieve better intellectual growth and to fulfill personal potential. Whether a child is the first in their family to attend college, as I was or comes from a long line of scholars or attends a school that teaches specialized trades, it is obvious that he or she will be better equipped to handle the challenges of an ever increasingly complex world. What do you think?