[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 89 (Friday, May 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1142-E1144]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                     PREPARING FOR A CHANGING WORLD

                                 ______


                             HON. ED PASTOR

                               of arizona

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 25, 1995
  Mr. PASTOR. Mr. Speaker, on May 13, 1995, the College of Santa Fe 
held its graduation ceremonies in Santa Fe, NM. The principal speaker 
was Congressman Bill Richardson, who spoke to the graduates on 
preparing for a changing world. I commend to you the Congressman's 
address by placing it in the Record as follows:
Congressman Bill Richardson--Speech Before the College of Santa Fe--May 
                                13, 1995

       President Fries, Dr. Lawrence, distinguished members of the 
     faculty, family members, and especially the graduating class 
     of 1995: I am very pleased to be here with you today as you 
     graduate. Be proud of yourselves and cherish this day. There 
     are few accomplishments in life that will bring you more 
     fulfillment and prosperity than education.
       Everyone is talking about welfare, the budget, Russia--but 
     I want to talk about education.
       Education is the single most important factor in 
     determining the success of an individual life or a community. 
     When I use the word success, I mean more than economic gain: 
     the ability to enjoy family and friends; to create art, and 
     music; to help your community solve pressing problems--all 
     are made possible by education, and all are characteristics 
     that benefit the communities in which we live.
       People say that everything comes down to economics--but I 
     believe that education is really the key to what we are and 
     where we are going.
       Our world is changing rapidly, and education must change 
     with it. Learning should be continuous, occupationally 
     relevant, and it should function transnationally.
       New Mexico doesn't just compete with Texas or California--
     we compete in new ways with eastern rim nations, countries 
     that were formerly behind the Berlin Wall, and South Africa.
       Today, information moves at an incredible rate of speed. 
     When I was in college, the knowledge gained by an engineering 
     student remained valid for 20 years after graduation. Today, 
     it is estimated that the facts college freshmen learn are 
     obsolete by the time they graduate.
       Education should reflect these rapid changes.
       As a nation, America believes that good education is 
     fundamental, but there are some uncomfortable realities that 
     we must accept. Students in the United States are 
     consistently outperformed in science and mathematics by 
     students from Asia and Europe.
       In New Mexico, only 14% of 8th graders perform at a 
     proficient or advanced level in math--while twice as many 
     students perform at these levels in Taiwan, Korea, and 
     Switzerland.
       These test scores are significant because the employment 
     growth rate for scientists and engineers is 112%--four times 
     the growth rate for managers. Future prosperity for many 
     young people depends on their abilities in math and science.
       Why do our students test poorly? Well, there are 
     fundamental differences in education abroad that we can learn 
     from.
       First of all, countries overseas are more successful in 
     assuring that the majority of [[Page E1143]] children begin 
     school in good health and so, are ready to learn.
       Children should have complete immunizations, maintain a 
     nutritious diet, and receive adequate medical care in order 
     to do well in elementary school.
       Today, only half of American children enter school with 
     complete immunizations, only half of low income children have 
     seen a dentist, and only one-quarter of preschoolers maintain 
     a nutritionally sound diet.
       We must see that our children are ready to learn when they 
     enter school.
       Second, students in other democracies receive twice as much 
     instruction in core academic subjects, such as language, 
     literature, math, science, and art. A student in Germany 
     devotes 35-hundred hours to core subjects in 4 years of high 
     school, while a student in the United States spends only 14-
     hundred hours on those same subjects. We should reaffirm our 
     commitment to teaching core subjects.
       In most systems abroad, students learn one, and often two 
     foreign languages. I believe that every American child should 
     be required to study and speak at least one foreign language. 
     We are one of the most diverse countries in the world, yet we 
     discourage communicating cross-culturally.
       This is not logical, but more importantly, it is not 
     productive. Becoming bilingual is an asset, not a burden. It 
     is likely that today's students will be required to converse 
     in any number of foreign languages in the business world, and 
     in their neighborhood.
       A recent survey confirms this--40% of big business 
     executives hire people who speak Spanish, and here in the 
     Southwest two-thirds of companies surveyed say they need 
     Spanish-speaking employees. We must prepare students for 
     these opportunities. Foreign languages should become core 
     curriculum for all students.
       New technology and computer skills must also become core 
     curriculum. The number of online information users in the 
     United States is expected to double from 10 million in 1995 
     to 20 million in 1997.
       Young Americans simply will not succeed in the working 
     world without computer knowledge, and we should be preparing 
     students for that every day in school.
       Teleconferencing technology can be used to bring students 
     information that their instructors are unable to provide.
       The University of Texas is experimenting with this process 
     to reach the children of migrant farm workers. Migrant 
     children are able to travel with their families, but receive 
     diplomas through correspondence and teleconferencing.
       The medical community has also begun this process by 
     bringing rural doctors new scientific data and procedures via 
     teleconferencing. It has improved the delivery of health care 
     in many regions in the country including New Mexico. Our 
     local school districts should be using it to enhance their 
     existing curriculum.
       School and public libraries should be on the internet. 
     Recent legislation provides user fee discounts for local 
     educational units; let's take advantage of that. Our 
     libraries can again become the community learning centers 
     they once were.
       The technology curriculum should include improved 
     vocational program for students who do not attend college, or 
     may otherwise drop out of school.
       Our high-school drop-out rate is increasing, even though 
     children need a completed education now more than ever. In 
     New Mexico, 1 in 3 high school freshmen who start school will 
     not graduate.
       Many may find crime a more profitable path to take.
       As our continuing debate on welfare reform indicates, we 
     are disheartened by this. Our ability to move people from 
     welfare to work depends in large measure on the availability 
     of programs for young adults while they are in school.
       Germany alternates classroom instruction and apprentice 
     programs with great success. Such programs were quite 
     prevalent in America in the 1940's and 50's, and they put 
     people to work.
       We should modernize the idea for the 1990's to include 
     emerging opportunities in robotics, health professions, and 
     communication systems.
       Many foreign cultures continue their work with students 
     after school. For instance, the use of tutors is prevalent in 
     Japan where 35,000 professionals work as tutors and earn 
     $2,500 per child, per year.
       Americans typically use tutors only when problems arise and 
     just passing a course is questionable. This is revealing: our 
     expectations may hover at mediocrity, and the value we place 
     on hard work may be slipping.
       Here in New Mexico, local schools have begun a program in 
     which scientists from Los Alamos will teach children on an 
     ongoing basis about their research, and about working in a 
     science field.
       These are programs that energize the learning process and 
     create successful students. We should work to make these 
     programs prevalent in all schools. Foreign schools and some 
     schools here in New Mexico are experimenting with extending 
     the class period to longer blocks of time. Many students need 
     extended periods to grasp complex subjects; learning and 
     creativity may be frustrated by an arbitrary end to 
     discussion.
       Also, many schools abroad group students according to 
     ability, needs, and experience rather than by age. American 
     college and postgraduate programs operate on this basis; 
     perhaps it is time to experiment with the concept in early 
     education.
       There is also a strong outcry today that children aren't 
     being taught a system of values in school. It is a touchy 
     subject because our values are personal, and they sometimes 
     conflict.
       But we cannot ignore the facts--teenage crime and drug use 
     are rising. Educators have proposed teaching leadership 
     skills, the importance of honesty, and mutual respect in the 
     classroom. Surely we can agree that these are desirable 
     character attributes. Let's support efforts to bring them 
     into the classroom.
       Studies consistently show that family involvement in a 
     child's education is the single most important factor in 
     determining the success of that child's performance in 
     school. Schools should seek family involvement in defining 
     and teaching a clear set of values.
       Our educators should be treated as valued professionals, as 
     they are in foreign systems. The impact our teachers have on 
     the nation's young people cannot be overstated.
       For many families, teachers spend more time with our 
     children than any other adult. At the college level, 
     professors are guiding students who may one day discover the 
     cure for cancer, or create a great symphony.
       We should elevate educators' status to reflect the 
     important work that they do. They should be paid as 
     professionals. Two countries that consistently out-score 
     Americans on tests, Switzerland and Japan, pay their 
     secondary teachers far more than the United States. If we are 
     willing to pay our accountants and lawyers well, we should be 
     equally willing to pay out teachers.
       Teachers and their schools should be rewarded when their 
     students' performance improves. Incentives such as this have 
     worked well in other professions; it's time to try them in 
     education.
       Post secondary and graduate education should be affordable 
     to any student with the ability and desire to attend.
       There is no surer route to creating a permanent underclass 
     in America than by denying college education to vast numbers 
     of middle and low income people.
       Access to education has, for 200 years, been the 
     fundamental reason we can say ``you can be anything you want 
     to be in America.'' We are recognized around the world for 
     this principle, but it is at risk.
       Income level rises in direct proportion to the amount of 
     advanced education an individual has. High school graduates 
     earn less than one-third of the salary that college graduates 
     do. However, college tuition costs continue to outpace 
     inflation, and low cost financing is threatened.
       We must do all we can to preserve low-interest loans for 
     students, establish additional work-study programs, and 
     create new grants to ensure that students from all walks of 
     life can pursue a college education.
       Businesses should consider providing assistance to 
     promising employees. In 1991 30% of all U.S. Workers received 
     some sort of employment benefit for education. However, the 
     number of minorities who received these benefits was lower: 
     only 21% of African Americans and 25% of Hispanics reported 
     receiving education benefits.
       We must raise these numbers for all employees to ensure a 
     healthy, competitive economy.
       College schedules should become more flexible. Part-time 
     students are the fastest growing population in baccalaureate 
     programs. They comprise approximately 40% of current college 
     enrollees. We should accommodate their work or home schedules 
     to ensure graduation.
       We provide less education financing for part-time students: 
     only 10 percent of part-time students receive federal grants, 
     while 30 percent of full-time students receive grant money; 
     only 6 percent part-time students receive federal loans, 
     while 29 percent of full-time students receive loans.
       In effect, we create disincentives for working people or 
     people with responsibilities in the home to attend college.
       Technology can help improve prospects for those who seek 
     college degrees. Our cable television and communication 
     system should be used to its greatest capacity to allow 
     working people to attend class from their homes, at low cost. 
     Some regions are experimenting with this concept. Let's make 
     it a universal option.
       We must also enlarge our continuing education programs. 
     Continuing education can prepare high school students for 
     skilled work, and increases the ongoing employability of 
     college graduates.
       Good education ultimately requires community involvement. 
     I'm sure many of you have heard the African proverb ``It 
     takes an entire village to raise a child.'' I believe that is 
     true, particularly with education.
       The community must take an interest in its educational 
     system, and should be willing to invest in programs that will 
     pay dividends in the long run. Also, a good educational 
     system would instill a sense of community responsibility in 
     its students. Students should be encouraged to become 
     involved in improving the school and the community.
       You know that one of the primary means I have for keeping 
     in touch with New Mexicans while I am in Washington is 
     through your letters. I receive on an average 200 letters a 
     week. One recent letter stands out in my mind. It was from a 
     young father in New Mexico. He and his wife worked minimum 
     wage jobs. They had no health care insurance.
       They like so many other young families are teetering on the 
     edge of American's middle class and poverty--yet this 
     father's greatest concern for the future was not the 
     [[Page E1144]] budget deficit, lack of health care, or jobs. 
     His greatest concern was his 4-year-old daughter, Erica.
       How can we ensure that Erica and all other American 
     children will be safe, secure and successful in this changing 
     world?
       The answer is we must build an education system that makes 
     sure Erica is healthy and alert; has the basic skills to 
     compete with youngsters from all over the world for high 
     technology jobs; and most importantly, our education system 
     must give Erica access to the continuing education and 
     knowledge that she will need throughout her lifetime.
       Erica's small rural school in New Mexico and schools like 
     hers all over our country must have the ability to keep up 
     with the changing world.
       My charge to you today as you begin a new life is this: 
     Please don't stop educating yourself. Make it a lifelong 
     pursuit. And just as important--please care for your 
     community's educational system so that children like Erica 
     have that same opportunity in the years to come.
       Thank you and congratulations.
       

                          ____________________