[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 76 (Thursday, June 5, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3551]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                    REVITALIZING AMERICAN EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentlewoman from Texas [Ms. Granger] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Ms. GRANGER. Mr. Speaker, the poet Maya Angelo once said a cynical 
child is one who has made the transition from knowing nothing to 
believing nothing.
  Mr. Speaker, the goal of education is not just to grant knowledge to 
our students, it is also to give them hope. Sadly, many of our schools 
today fail on both counts. Yes, it is true that many of our young 
people today are not able to write words or calculate numbers as they 
should, but perhaps more profoundly, many of our young people are 
discouraged and disillusioned. They have lost hope in themselves and 
they have lost hope in America. That is an American tragedy.
  The effects of this tragedy are felt everywhere. We can sense it in 
our inner cities where crime is rampant and violence is a way of life. 
We can see it in the eyes of an 18-year-old dropout who has aged far 
beyond his years and lives life knowing his best years are already 
over. We can hear it in the voices of thousands of young people, people 
for whom the promise of America has long since been lost.
  These precious young people are the ones who ultimately pay the price 
when our schools fail. These young people are the victims of schools 
that have failed them and communities that have given up on them. This 
is a situation we must and we can do something about.
  I believe that no first-class nation can have second-class citizens. 
But being an optimist, I believe there are also answers. To those 
parents and students who have been failed by our schools, I say yes, 
you have lost much but you have not lost everything. To those teachers 
and principals who are trying to make a difference, I say yes, you are 
doing many good things, you are building their futures and you are 
building ours.
  Tonight I rise not to condemn American education but to challenge it. 
I want to challenge teachers to work harder and students to study 
longer. I want to encourage school administrators, school board members 
and school principals to create safe environments, better schools, and 
more creative classrooms. I want to urge moms and dads not just to be 
parents at home but also partners in the schools.
  We can revitalize American education. We have all the necessary 
ingredients. We have the best teachers in the world and the brightest 
young minds, if only we can create a climate where teachers and 
students can do what they do best, teach and learn. I believe we can do 
that and I know we should. Today more than ever our schools and our 
children need our help.
  When our children head off to college, they need our help even more. 
Tonight I think help has arrived. Tonight, I am pleased to introduce, 
along with the gentlewoman from Washington [Ms. Dunn], the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania [Mr. Pitts], the gentleman from Texas [Mr. DeLay], 
the majority whip, and others, the HELP Act, the Higher Education and 
Learning Promotion Act.
  This legislation is designed to give families an additional option 
for their $500-per-child tax credit which both the President and the 
Congress are pledged to support. This historic legislation would allow 
our families to begin financing higher education through savings 
instead of debt.
  As an incentive to encourage families to save and invest for their 
children's college education, this legislation would allow parents to 
invest this child tax credit in an education savings account. These 
accounts will earn interest tax free and can be withdrawn tax free for 
their child's education, and families will be able to double the amount 
of the tax credit if they choose to invest in an education savings 
account.
  This would give families the option of using this tax credit and 
other savings to help plan for their children's future. A family with 
two children will be able to invest $1,500 each year for each of their 
children in an education savings account. That is $3,000 for their 
children's education.
  Mr. Speaker, I believe the HELP Act is an important part of 
revitalizing American education, and I urge my colleagues to include 
this important proposal in the upcoming tax relief package for 
families.
  Mr. Speaker, with the help of parents and teachers and the hope of 
our young people, we can build schools which will train fertile minds, 
prepare young lives and foster dreams. Our vision is a glorious one, an 
America where our children are not only well educated but, more 
importantly, an America where our children believe in themselves and 
they believe in their country. Mr. Speaker, the future is theirs but 
the responsibility is ours.

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