[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 19, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E519]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     PARTNERS IN ACHIEVING LITERACY

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                             HON. VIC FAZIO

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 19, 1997

  Mr. FAZIO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to the Vacaville 
Reporter, Solano County businesses, the students and kids who 
participate in the Partners in Achieving Literacy Program.
  I am proud to say that more than 100 businesses throughout Solano 
County have come forward to join Partners in Achieving Literacy (PAL) 
with the Vacaville Reporter in helping local kids stay on top of their 
school work and their citizenship.
  More than 5,000 students in Travis, Dixon, Vacaville and Fairfield/
Suisun School District participate and benefit from this year's program 
alone. Teachers from more than 120 classrooms use the Reporter as a 
teaching tool in subjects ranging from geography to economics to civics 
to current events. Thanks to lesson plans that have been suggested to 
local teachers by the Reporter, reading and math skills have been 
heightened. We need more interaction between business and students like 
Partners in Literacy if we are to prepare our children and students for 
the challenges of the 21st century.
  Weekly features in the Reporter like Kids Tech, Rooster Tails and 
Kids Talk have gotten even more kids involved in learning about the 
issues of the day and the issues that affect their community.
  Programs like the Reporter's PAL Program is an essential component to 
our overall national education strategy. As employers in our community 
come to depend more and more on a skilled and technical workforce for 
tomorrow's economy, it is critical that we have the educated labor pool 
to fill those jobs.
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring The Vacaville Reporter, the 
businesses of Solano County and most of all the kids and schools who 
participate in the Partners in Literacy program.

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