[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Page H9043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 EDUCATION: REAFFIRMING OUR COMMITMENT

  (Mr. FILNER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FILNER. Madam Speaker, I rise today along with many of my 
colleagues to reaffirm our commitment to the education of our children 
and to our role in supporting local initiatives for strong neighborhood 
public schools.
  One fine example of a local initiative which has fostered the success 
of thousands of children in my home State of California is the Parent 
Institute for Quality Education which has just celebrated its 10th 
anniversary. The primary emphasis of the Institute and its founder, 
Vahac Mardirosian, is the involvement of parents in their children's 
education. The Institute provides parents with the skills and knowledge 
necessary to become actively involved with their kids both at home and 
in their children's schools.
  The Institute works with schools that have the most at-risk students. 
By building partnerships between parents, teachers and school 
administrators, the work and efforts of each are strengthened and every 
measure of quality education is demonstrably improved.
  Plans to increase parental involvement in all our schools are 
included in the Democratic agenda for first class public schools. I 
encourage my colleagues to support this agenda which reaffirms our 
commitment to our children and to public education in our Nation.

                          ____________________