[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 85 (Wednesday, June 18, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H3869]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          SUPPORT INCREASED FUNDING FOR FEDERAL TRIO PROGRAMS

  (Mr. FORD asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FORD. Mr. Speaker, I extend my prayers to Dr. Shabazz in her 
recovery in New York.
  Mr. Speaker, this morning I rise because yesterday the Subcommittee 
on Postsecondary Education, Training, and Life-long Learning of the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce held a hearing on the 
reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.
  For over 30 years this act has provided postsecondary education 
opportunities for millions of Americans. This is a shining example of 
providing national leadership and resources to help educate all 
Americans. In the hearing yesterday they reviewed Federal TRIO 
programs. TRIO provides academic counseling and outreach to students 
from families who earn less than $25,000 a year. It helps students who 
would not otherwise receive post-secondary education by giving them a 
chance and giving them an opportunity.
  TRIO, Mr. Speaker, is making a difference. A 1993 study by the 
Department of Education found that TRIO is extremely effective at 
counseling young people in their elementary and secondary school years, 
for it is based on the Jeffersonian principle that education should be 
provided to those who have an ability to learn and not just an ability 
to pay.
  Recently released results of the Third International Math and Science 
Study found that American third and fourth graders, Mr. Speaker, rank 
highest in math and science worldwide. Let us give TRIO a chance. 
Refund it, and allow us the opportunity to train those eighth-graders 
when their scores dropped.

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