[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 124 (Wednesday, September 17, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H7369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      EDUCATION A PRIORITY FOR ALL

  (Mr. EWING asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mr. EWING. Mr. Speaker, education is the priority for all of us. 
There is a lot more to education though than just putting more money in 
it. Sometimes this body appears to confuse that.
  Let us say, for instance, school structure. I could not be prouder 
than I am of the city of Chicago, which only a few years ago had some 
of the worst schools in the country, and working with the Democratic 
mayor, working with the Republican legislature, they put a new 
structure in place which has reduced crime, put out a core curriculum, 
and has increased test scores several times over.
  They are really moving in the right direction. I am also proud of 
this body. Yesterday we voted the Goodling amendment. The teachers in 
my district have told me very plainly, we do not need to test and test 
and test. I guess my question is, like a farmer, if you test too many 
times, it is like weighing your cow every day. It does not do any good.
  The Republicans, I believe, have the right idea for education and we 
need to keep pursuing it.

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