[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7019]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL EDUCATION STANDARDS

  (Mr. TIAHRT asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. TIAHRT. Mr. Speaker, I was saddened several months ago when I 
heard the President abandon the teachers in America. He called for 1 
million volunteers to teach our children to read.
  In Kansas, the teachers have not abandoned our children. They are 
teaching reading and writing and math and history and science and other 
important things. They have not turned from their job responsibility, 
even if the President has turned his back on them.
  Now the President wants to create more government and establish 
national education standards. Sounds good. I am from the government and 
I am here to help. But we have done that before. We have national 
standards. It is for Pentagon procurement. We call them MILSPECS. They 
are very complicated. Because of those MILSPECS, we bought a $750 pair 
of pliers.
  Now they want to transfer that technology to education. Let us not go 
there. The States have that responsibility and States like Kansas have 
established quality performance accreditation educational standards. 
Kansas has not abandoned educational standards. Let us not complicate 
education standards and get the equivalent of a $750 pair of pliers. 
Let the States do their job.

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