Senator Ensign has always believed that a quality education is the key to a successful future. His first speech on the floor of the United States Senate was on the importance of education. "Let No Nevada Child Be Left Behind."

No Child Left Behind
Passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in early 2002 represented the most sweeping reform of elementary and secondary education since the enactment of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in 1965. Senator Ensign believes this legislation benefits children in public schools by ensuring that they are given the help they need to succeed in the global marketplace of the future. It not only empowers parents with the information they deserve to know about their child’s education but also provides teachers and administrators with the tools they need to successfully and effectively teach those children.

During work on the No Child Left Behind Act, he worked to guarantee that Nevada students got their fair share of education funding from the federal government. Ensign included a provision in the No Child Left Behind Act to ensure that a fast-growing state such as Nevada would receive the education funding it deserves. Because of his amendment, the federal government is now required to update the number of students in each state annually, rather than every five to six years as had been done in the past. The passage of Senator Ensign’s amendment has meant an additional $55 million for the state of Nevada in Title I funds alone, funds which assist the most disadvantaged students.

Senator Ensign is anxious to continue the progress made by the No Child Left Behind Act. It is clear from conversations he has had with teachers, parents, students, and administrators that, while the purpose of the law is ontrack, there are some details that need to be changed to make the law more effective. He looks forward to working with Nevadans as we look forward to reauthorization of NCLB.

Although he is no longer a member of the Committee, Senator Ensign has remained particularly interested in ensuring that federal financial aid goes to those students who most need it. To that end, he worked to target new federal assistance, the Academic Competitiveness grants, to students eligible for the federal Pell grant. This new grant supplements federal Pell grants for students in college.

The Higher Education Act also contains new provisions that target financial assistance to those students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). As a member of the Senate High Tech Task Force, Senator Ensign is particularly concerned about the low number of U.S. students entering these majors. He hopes that increasing the assistance provided to these students will encourage more of our best and brightest students to enter these majors. To encourage these students to enter the STEM fields, additional financial assistance is given to students in their freshman year for taking a rigorous math and science curriculum in high school. Students with declared STEM majors in their junior and senior years will be eligible for the SMART Grant. The SMART Grant will provide additional assistance on top of the student’s Pell grant.