Education
Education is the foundation for our country’s future and a fundamental right for all of our children. As the son of a public school teacher, I value the enormous impact that schools and teachers have.
It is vital that we continue to improve our public school system from the bottom up. I believe in expanding special education, art, and science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs so that students have a well-rounded education and can be competitive on the global stage. We live in a changing world and have a skill-based economy. Many companies now hire based on skills, rather than looking at formal degrees. Decoupling skills from degrees and credentialing reform are issues that I am considering in Congress.
I am championing apprenticeships in Congress and believe we need more of them in the U.S. Nations such as Switzerland and Germany successfully created robust ecosystems of apprenticeships, where most students participate at a young age, learn needed skills, and have jobs after completion. With tax credits and modernizing the application process, we should incentivize businesses to create more apprenticeships.
I also believe that we need to give every aspiring student the opportunities and resources to pursue the dream of college education. The cost of college has become exorbitant. Something is wrong when our nation’s bright young minds see college as a financial risk that comes with decades of burdensome debt, and I will fight to change that.
Click here to learn more about the bills that I introduced and cosponsored.
Read my op-ed in The Mercury News on the importance of funding public schools.
More on Education
Mission College will cut the ribbon on its new building Wednesday with the help of Rep. Ro Khanna, who’ll speak at the opening ceremony for the Student Engagement Center on the Santa Clara campus. The first-term Democrat has been an advocate for affordable college education, as well as programs that get more underserved groups and women into STEM fields.
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna, D-California, joined Democratic Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney of New York, met student leaders and advocates Oct. 27, to seek new ways to tackle what they contend is the poor handling of reporting sexual assault cases on college campuses nationwide.
Maloney and Khanna are working on a bill to better track sexual assaults on college campuses through a standardized, national survey, and the meeting also discussed Title IX protections for student victims.
Washington, DC – Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) issued the following statement in response to news reports that the Justice Department will prohibit affirmative action in the college admissions process.
CHICAGO, Ill. – On Friday, June 9th, Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) addressed the 2017 graduating class of his alma mater, the University of Chicago. Speaking before the students of the undergraduate college, he reflected on his time in school and the challenges of the current political climate.
More than half a million students go to public school each day across Alameda and Santa Clara counties. These schools and educators are preparing children for a life of success and instilling in them a common language of democracy.
Public education and public service go hand in hand. At a time when we as a nation are facing a potential constitutional crisis in Washington and families feel threatened by the discriminatory policies of the Trump administration, public schools serve an important role in fostering a sense of citizenship and strengthening trust in our institutions.
How can Democrats best reply to the Trump agenda?
Since the rise of the tea party, the Democratic response that seems to have resonated most with voters has been to promise more stuff to more people.
You want to slow the growth of Social Security benefits for the upper income? We’ll increase Social Security. For everybody.
You want to abolish Obamacare? We will push Medicare for all.
Are people having trouble paying off their student loans? We will make college free — for everyone, regardless of income.
For all the important debates happening right now in the United States, the economy remains at the top of people's minds. In a recent CNN/ORC poll, respondents listed it as the top issue facing the country.
Washington, DC – Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) issued the following statement on the White House’s release of its budget blueprint:
“The budget proposal President Trump released today would underfund national priorities and hurt working families. Investments in public education, research and development, the creative industries, and environmental protections support a vibrant and secure economy. Yet, the White House wants to ignore American values by initiating massive cuts to these programs,” said Rep. Khanna. “The strength of our nation is more than just our military might.”