[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 144 (Thursday, October 23, 1997)]
[House]
[Pages H9498-H9499]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           AMERICA IS FACING A CRITICAL DECISION ON EDUCATION

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Arizona [Mr. Shadegg] is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, I just want to reiterate, for those who may 
be listening at this point, we are on the verge of a very, very 
critical decision in this country. I hope people understand how 
important it is.
  As Americans, we care about our children's education. We want them to 
do the best they can, and in this global economy in which they must 
compete, we want them to be able to compete with children around the 
world. That is why we embrace almost any idea to improve education, 
including ideas that are being thrown around nationally. But one of 
those ideas, while it sounds good, is, I believe, a grave threat to our 
children and to education in America, and to their ability to compete. 
That idea is national testing.
  People tuning in or just listening might say, what is wrong with 
national testing? What is wrong with being able to allow parents in 
Arizona to compare the performance of their children and their schools 
with parents in Michigan or Florida? The truth is, there is nothing 
wrong with that, but there are tests to do that right now, 
independently written tests, like the Iowa test of basic skills, or the 
Stanford test. We have those tests.
  What is being proposed today, and what energizes me and causes me 
fear, is a single exam written in Washington, DC, deep in the bowels of 
the Federal Department of Education or written by a committee appointed 
by the President, to be administered to every student in America. That 
one exam will have the danger of setting the national curriculum, and 
taking control away from parents and teachers and local administrators 
in my school district and in every American school district.
  I think Americans trust the teachers and the administrators, and even 
the parents and the students in their own school district. They know if 
they want to influence the curriculum at their school, they can go to 
their school and make their voice heard. They can go to their local 
school board and make their voice heard.
  But let me warn the Members, if we adopt one national test in reading 
for

[[Page H9499]]

fourth graders or one national test, and that is Federal Government 
test, in mathematics for eight graders, we will have ceded the control 
of our children's education over to faceless, nameless Washington 
bureaucrats deep in the bowels of the education establishment, deep in 
the bowels of the Department of Education, or in some consulting firm.
  Mr. Speaker, I think we owe our children better than that. We cannot 
give away local control of our schools to Federal bureaucrats. Why 
would a national test do that? Members say, how can a national test be 
that dangerous? How can it be that threatening? The answer is a simple 
one: What is tested is what will be taught. We all understand that.
  My daughter, Courtney, back in Phoenix, AZ, and my son, Stephen, are 
doing well in school, but they are doing well because their teachers, 
and I have faith in teachers, they are good people, their teachers 
learn what Courtney and Stephen are going to be tested on, and they 
make sure that in the curriculum they teach them what they will be 
tested upon.
  So what is tested is what will be taught, and if we allow the test to 
be written in Washington, D.C., then what will be taught across America 
will be what some Federal bureaucrat deep in the bowels of the 
education department decides ought to be taught, because they will 
write the test, and your children's teacher and my children's teachers 
will be forced to teach to that test. We must block that effort to 
nationalize education. That fight is now, here in Washington, today. 
The decision will be made in Washington next week. There will be a vote 
in the U.S. Senate and a vote in the U.S. House.
  Americans who do not want to give up control over their children's 
education to a bunch of nameless, faceless Washington bureaucrats need 
to speak out now. They need to call Washington, call their Congressman, 
call their Senator, and say, do not let national testing steal control 
away from our teachers in our neighborhood, from our school board in 
our neighborhood.
  Some of the proponents of this idea say, do not worry, it is only 
voluntary. That is a hollow defense of a bad idea, because in America 
today there are only about 4 or 5 textbook writers. If we write one 
national test in Washington, D.C. and say, this will be given to all 
kids, sure, you will be able to opt out of of the test, but the 
textbook writers, the people who write the curriculum for the schools, 
will write to that test. They will have no choice. If you sit on a 
school board or if you sit in your parent-teacher council and do not 
like that test, do not like that curriculum, you will have no choice.
  We have to reject this idea and reject it now, and reject it 
decisively by a vote in the U.S. Senate as early as next week. I urge 
Americans who care about their children's education to speak out, and 
not let Washington seize control of their school's education program. 
The price is simply too high.
  There are radicals in Washington, D.C. who are writing a radical 
test; a test that, for example, in math does not even test basic math 
skills. But make no mistake about it, it does not matter whether the 
radicals write the test or good people write the test. If the test is a 
top-down, Washington-knows-best, one-size-fits-all idea, it will hurt 
education, because it will cost those parents and teachers in your 
school control of education in their neighborhoods. I hope Americans 
are listening.

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