[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 9, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7022]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHOULD PARTNER WITH STATE AND LOCAL SCHOOLS TO SOLVE 
                          EDUCATIONAL PROBLEMS

  (Mr. GREEN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GREEN. Mr. Speaker, there are 52 million students in public 
schools today. Fifty-two million students. That is more than at the 
height of the baby boom generation. The question is are these students 
receiving the best education?
  Students from kindergarten to high school need a positive learning 
environment, an environment where students can ask questions, and 
teachers are accessible for individual tutoring, where students and 
teachers want to teach and want to learn. Students are not receiving 
enough help and enough support to learn at an adequate level.
  This is not the fault of the teachers. Look at the numbers. Fifty-two 
million students. There is a serious overcrowding problem. Schools are 
overcrowded, the buildings are unsafe. Thousands of students across our 
Nation go to school in buildings with leaky roofs and broken windows 
while students in the District of Columbia here wait until the roofs 
are fixed to start school.
  Teachers are stretched to their limits. In some classrooms teachers 
are teaching more than 40 students. We need more teachers and more help 
for teachers. Teachers provide that personal contact and that 
mentorship. With an increase in teachers, they can accurately assess 
the needs of their students and focus on that learning.
  These are concerns affecting children every day. We need to partner 
with our local schools and our States to make sure we solve our 
educational problems.

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