[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 115 (Thursday, September 4, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H6804]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  IMPROVE OUR SCHOOLS AND GIVE EVERY KID IN THE NATION A SHOT AT THE 
                             AMERICAN DREAM

  (Ms. DeLAURO asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is our responsibility as Members of this 
body to help ensure that every child in this great Nation has a shot at 
the American dream. Education has always been a critical part of that 
dream because it is education that opens the doors to opportunity in 
our society. It is our responsibility to make sure that every American 
child is taught to read, to write, to compute, and taught all the other 
skills necessary for them to compete in a global and in a modern 
economy.
  We need to make sure that the kids in Portland, ME are held to the 
same high standards as the kids in Portland, OR, and that a high school 
diploma earned in Albany, NY means as much as the diploma that is 
earned in Albany, GA.
  Republicans have vowed to defeat Democratic initiatives and to reform 
our schools and to ensure that all of America's children receive a 
quality education and that, in fact, we have high standards that are 
adhered to in this country. My Republican colleagues even want to get 
rid of the Department of Education. However, Democrats are united in 
this effort. We are going to continue to fight to improve our schools 
and to give every kid in this Nation a shot at the American dream.

                          ____________________