As a parent of three children - ages 15, 17 and 20 - about to enter college, I know how daunting it feels to be faced with multiple tuitions, and I want to make sure everyone's children have the same educational opportunities as mine.

The best way to expand access to higher education is by making it more affordable. College costs have risen nearly 40 percent over the last five years, and the average graduate leaves college with more than $19,000 in debt. For families with incomes in the lowest 20 percent, tuition can consume up to 70 percent of the household income, making college a financially unrealistic goal.

Like all levels of education in the United States, everyone should be afforded an equal opportunity to receive a college education independent of their family's wealth. In Congress, I will work to make college more affordable by expanding federal financial assistance programs.

I support raising the maximum size of Pell Grants to $9,000 - nearly double the current limit. I would also expand the availability and size of low-interest Stafford loans, and extend the interest rate reductions for subsidized Stafford loans beyond 2013. In addition, the application process for federal student loans needs to be streamlined and simplified. I support a plan to allow families and independent students to apply for student aid through their income tax forms, eliminating the need for separate complicated FAFSA applications. Finally, we need to expand funding and the number of positions available for programs such as the Peace Corps and Teach for America that reward public service with college tuition or loan forgiveness.

In addition to making higher education more affordable, we need to strengthen our universities' research programs. In a global economy increasingly focused on science and technology, the U.S. is losing its long-held competitive advantage in innovation. Also, as the demand for new energy sources grows, so does the need for more scientists and engineers working in this field.

We need to increase scholarships and other incentives for American students going into science and engineering, and increase funding available to universities from the National Science Foundation. In addition, we need to create incentives for more undergraduates in math and science to go into teaching, to ensure excellence in teaching and provide the foundation for American innovation early on.