[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 149 (Thursday, October 30, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S11493]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        DELTA TEACHERS' ACADEMY

 Mr. BUMPERS. Mr. President, The Agricultural Research, 
Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1997, which the Senate passed 
yesterday, includes a provision which authorizes the Secretary to 
provide funds to a national organization which promotes educational 
opportunities at the primary and secondary levels in rural areas with a 
historic incidence of poverty and low academic achievement.
  The 1990 Report of the Lower Mississippi Delta Development Commission 
identified quality of education as one if its 68 issues to be addressed 
through State and/or Congressional action. One of several 
recommendations offered by the Commission was that educational agencies 
in the Delta establish cooperative partnerships with institutions of 
higher education. In 1992, the Delta Teachers' Academy was launched as 
one of the first large-scale, federally funded responses to the Delta 
Development Commission. Since that time, the Delta Teachers' Academy 
has offered outstanding opportunities for elementary and high school 
teachers to increase their academic proficiency and has become the 
largest professional development program operated by the National 
Faculty. Acting under the assumption that well-prepared teachers beget 
well-educated students, Congress has continued to provide funding for 
the Delta Teachers' Academy. Giving teachers the resources, knowledge, 
and support they need to achieve the goals set for them should reside 
at the heart of educational improvement efforts.
  The importance of preparing young people for the challenges and 
realities of the 21st Century is indisputable. The region of the United 
States known as the Lower Mississippi Delta--Eastern Arkansas, 
Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois, Western Kentucky, Western 
Tennessee, Mississippi, and Louisiana--has lagged behind the rest of 
the country in economic growth and prosperity. This area suffers from a 
greater amount of measurable poverty and unemployment than any other 
region of the country. It is inhibited by people who have used their 
sense of place to develop a cultural and historical heritage that is 
rich and unique. A letter from then-Governor Bill Clinton which 
accompanied the Delta Commission's 1990 report identified the region as 
``an enormous untapped resource for America'' that ``can and should be 
saved.'' The Delta Teachers' Academy has endeavored to do just that.
  The Delta Teachers' Academy, the National Faculty's single largest 
program, unites teachers from largely poor and isolated districts for 
long-term study in core disciplines. The three-year program combines 
intensive summer institutes with on-site sessions during the school 
year. Each teacher team works in collaboration with college and 
university scholars in one or more of five core disciplines--English, 
geography, history, math, and science. As teachers improve their 
mastery of these subject areas and gain confidence in their 
professional development, they are able to pass their knowledge along 
to the students with whom they come in contact. In 1995, the program 
served 600 teachers in 43 program sites. The Academy has continued to 
expand its outreach efforts and currently serves over 1000 teachers in 
the 219 counties and parishes comprising the Lower Mississippi Delta.
  Positive outcomes have been reported for the Delta Teachers' Academy 
by the General Accounting office in June of 1995 and as recently as 
August of this year by Westat, an independent entity commissioned to 
evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Both determined that the 
Delta Teachers' Academy is effective in fulfilling its two primary 
goals--increasing understanding of academic subjects and providing new 
and useful teaching skills. The GAO report specifically noted the 
Academy's success in helping teachers' institute changes in their 
curricula and classroom practice.
  I feel that the Delta Teachers' Academy represents community 
partnership at its very best. I am pleased that Congress has agreed to 
provide a special authorization for this incredibly worthwhile program. 
This makes clear Congress' commitment to improving educational 
opportunity and the overall quality of life for people living in the 
Lower Mississippi Delta and the need to continue our support such as 
the Delta Teachers' Academy.

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