[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 116 (Wednesday, August 17, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: August 17, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                     EDUCATION IN THE 103D CONGRESS

                                 ______


                          HON. LEE H. HAMILTON

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, August 17, 1994

  Mr. HAMILTON. Mr. Speaker, I would like to insert my Washington 
Report for Wednesday, August 17, 1994, into the Congressional Record:

                     Education in the 103d Congress

       This is an exciting time in education. Major reform efforts 
     are underway at all levels of government. The 103d Congress 
     has approved several initiatives with broad support from 
     educators, parents' groups, and members of Congress from both 
     parties. The federal government has always played an 
     important role in postsecondary education, but these efforts 
     focus on elementary and secondary education. Congress has 
     made two things clear: its commitment to education reform, 
     and its belief that state and local governments must continue 
     to take primary responsibility for education.


                            new initiatives

       Congress has passed bills aimed at improving educational 
     opportunities for students in preschool to high school:
       Head Start: This program, which provides educational and 
     social services to disadvantaged preschool children, has been 
     widely acclaimed. However, there have been concerns about the 
     quality of some Head Start programs, and Congress enacted a 
     law aimed at improving their effectiveness. The law sets 
     aside a portion of Head Start funding for quality 
     improvements, and requires evaluations before Head Start 
     providers can expand services. Head Start programs will now 
     identify highly skilled teachers to supervise and advise less 
     experienced ones. The law also requires the creation of more 
     stringent quality standards for Head Start programs, and 
     evaluations of each provider at least once every three years. 
     Providers are now required to make greater efforts to involve 
     parents in the development of their children's program. 
     Moreover, the law seeks to expand services for children under 
     three, and calls for a study on the need for full-day and 
     full-year Head Start instruction.
       Goals 2000: Considered the centerpiece of President 
     Clinton's education reform efforts, Goals 2000 establishes a 
     framework for federal support of stats' comprehensive reform 
     efforts. Participation in the program is strictly voluntary. 
     The law codifies the National Education Goals, first drafted 
     by President Bush and the nation's governors. It continues 
     the National Education Goals Panel, which will monitor the 
     nation's progress toward meeting the eight goals by the year 
     2000. In addition, a new board is charged with identifying 
     the skills that students will need to pursue certain 
     occupations so that they can better plan their course of 
     study. A separate panel will develop recommended curriculum 
     content, pupil performance, and opportunity-to-learn 
     standards, which states can use as guideposts for their own 
     reform efforts.
       States wishing to participate in Goals 2000 must develop 
     plans for systemic reform, and are not required to adopt the 
     national standards. Most of the funding for reform must be 
     passed along to local school districts. Goals 2000 fosters 
     flexibility by allowing states and local schools to apply for 
     waivers of federal regulations and by permitting the use of 
     reform funds for public school choice.
       Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA): The House 
     and Senate have passed different bills to reauthorize the 
     ESEA, the law through which elementary and secondary schools 
     receive most federal aid. Originally enacted almost 30 years 
     ago, the ESEA primarily provides assistance for four 
     purposes; to help meet the special needs of disadvantaged 
     students; to improve instruction in certain subject areas, 
     such as math, science, and drug abuse prevention; to support 
     teacher training and development; and to provide aid for a 
     variety of other resources, such as library books and 
     computers.
       By far the largest portion of ESEA funds are devoted to 
     programs for disadvantaged students. Most congressional 
     debate has focused on the degree to which funding should be 
     concentrated on those schools with the highest proportion of 
     poor students, and on allowing these funds to be used for 
     schoolwide programs. Both the House and the Senate have 
     sought to expand on the flexibility initiated in Goals 2000 
     by allowing schools to seek further exemptions from federal 
     regulations. Greater emphasis is also placed on providing 
     more extensive professional development for teachers.
       School-to-Work Transition: Targeted at the 50% of students 
     who do not go to college, this law provides aid to develop 
     programs to prepare students for the workplace. Students will 
     be able to integrate school-based and work-based learning 
     in a course of study providing them with a high school 
     diploma as well as additional certification in an 
     occupational area. The program will be operated by local 
     partnerships including employers, educators, and labor.


                               assessment

       I have never been pessimistic about the education system in 
     the United States. There is always plenty of room for 
     improvement, but I believe that we do a reasonably good job 
     of educating our young people and preparing them for work. 
     There isn't any doubt that we have to lift the performance of 
     youngsters coming out of schools so that they have the skills 
     required in today's world. No one of us should be satisfied 
     with an educational system that is average or even just above 
     average. The test is really whether we have the knowledge or 
     skills to prosper in the arena of increased global 
     competition.
       The last thing we need is federal control of schools. But 
     we do need to give expression to legitimate national concerns 
     about revitalizing and supporting local efforts to improve 
     schools. Developing ideas about what constitutes high-quality 
     education does not entail a national curriculum or 
     standardization curriculum or standardization. Standards 
     represent goals, and imaginative teachers will find a wide 
     variety of ways to reach them. All of us want to see every 
     student have a qualify education and achieve proficiency in 
     basic skills. We want every student to be economically 
     productive and a good citizen. And we would like every school 
     to have a healthy climate for learning. All of us want to 
     give more dignity and status to our teachers. And we want 
     each school to be free to shape creatively its own program.
       I believe that states and localities are primarily 
     responsible for providing the services that will help us 
     achieve our educational goals, but I also believe that the 
     federal government has an important role to play. All levels 
     of government need to contribute to making America a nation 
     of learners. The new education initiatives continue the 
     ongoing national conversation about what our children will 
     need to know in the 21st century.

                          ____________________