My Education Priorities include Early Childhood Education; Prioritizing Quality Education and Decrease High Drop-Out Rates in K – 12 Education; Recruiting and Retaining Qualified Teachers; and improved Post-Secondary Education opportunities that include vocational training.

As the parents of a public school student, nothing is more important to Mara and me than making sure all Alaska children receive a good education. A quality education is the key to success in today’s global economy. Here in Alaska, we need to set a new direction for many of our schools. We rank 42nd in graduation rates – 40 percent of our children don’t graduate high school and it’s 60 percent in our rural communities. This is unacceptable and in Congress, I will work to make sure Washington supports the right changes to our schools, rather than getting in the way of progress.

I want to fuel this campaign with good ideas and good will. It’s going to be about what we’re for, not who we’re against. It’s going to be about restoring hope and keeping promises. Please join me in leading our state and our country in a new direction on the economy, the war, health care, education, renewable energy, and ethics.

I started this campaign asking people to imagine Alaska the way it can be - independent, self-reliant, and with healthy, tight-knit communities. It’s a place where you stand on your own feet, on your own deck, and take care of your own family. During the time I spent as a deckhand in Bristol Bay, I learned to see each boat as a small family business and fishing as a way of life that can be passed from generation to generation. That’s why I’ll be where I’ve always been - on your side, standing up for your interests, because it’s the right place to be and the right thing to do.