The U.S. spends more money per student than any other developed nation except for Switzerland, yet our children rank 29th in science testing and 35th in mathematics testing. We have to reform the system so that performance improves and our students become the brilliant workforce of the future.

• Merit-Based Pay for Teachers
  In most occupations, employees are rewarded for work well done and penalized for poor performance. There is no reason this should not work the same way in our education system. We have to ensure that our children are being educated by the best and the brightest, so that the United States can continue its record of success and productivity.
  
  Any system created that allows for both outcome-based merit pay and greater accountability must be fair to teachers. Simply blaming teachers for a lack of parental involvement or the failure of a federal bureaucracy will not improve the education system in our country. Things like Race to the Top and AYP (Average Yearly Progress) may have some benefits, but in many ways don’t effectively address the more germane issue of individual student progress.
  
  It is my belief that the closer to home most education decisions are made, the better they will be. To create some kind of a teacher evaluation matrix in Washington D.C. or Lansing, Michigan will continue to provide us with the same results we have been achieving since the Department of Education was first created in 1979.
  
  
• School Choice
  Charter schools improve the opportunities available to children, increase parent choice, and serve special populations. If elected, I will support legislation to increase the number of charter schools, both in Michigan and nationwide.