[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 19 (Tuesday, March 3, 1998)]
[House]
[Page H697]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1300
  CONGRESS HAS AN HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF OUR 
                           NATION'S EDUCATION

  (Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 21, 1997, the 
gentleman from California (Mr. Miller) is recognized during morning 
hour debates for 1 minute.)
  Mr. MILLER of California. Mr. Speaker, this year the Congress has an 
historic opportunity to improve the quality of our Nation's education. 
Teachers are the foundation of our entire educational system, but right 
now we have a serious problem with the way we prepare and deploy 
teachers. One in four high school teachers does not even have a college 
minor in the subject they teach. In high poverty schools, the figure is 
one in two.
  Last week it was reported that U.S. students performed poorly in math 
and science compared to students in other countries. It is no 
coincidence that many of these students' teachers have no math or 
science background. The Committee on Education and the Workforce is 
about to mark up legislation to upgrade teacher preparation and to 
attract talented individuals to the profession of teaching.
  I will offer my own legislation, H.R. 2228, which would provide for 
the forgiveness of student loans to qualified entry-level teachers, 
increase professional development of new teachers, strengthen the 
standards for federally-supported teacher programs, and require schools 
to inform parents about the qualifications of their child's teacher.
  I support reducing classroom size by hiring more teachers, but when 
it comes to teachers, more is not enough. I urge my colleagues to 
support H.R. 2228.

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