Senator Duckworth strongly believes that every child in this country should have access to a quality public education. She is an advocate for needed investments in our public schools to ensure our nation’s workforce is competitive and that every child, regardless of income, has a shot at the American Dream. She supports access to early childhood learning and providing access to equal public education for all students, regardless of how they learn or whether they are able-bodied.

Senator Duckworth is also fighting to make post-secondary education, including college and vocational education, more attainable for all Americans. As someone who relied on Pell Grants and waitressing to pay her own college tuition, she believes expanding public financial aid for higher education will only help our nation’s people and economy. Duckworth is also working to allow students to refinance their student loan debt and to enable them to earn college credit through national service. She also supports making community college tuition-free for deserving students to help prepare them for high-skilled jobs and investing in apprenticeships and public-private workforce training partnerships that can help close the skills gap and make it easier for young people to find jobs after graduating.