[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 61 (Thursday, May 14, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E858]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TEACHER INVESTMENT AND ENHANCEMENT ACT

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                          HON. ELTON GALLEGLY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 14, 1998

  Mr. GALLEGLY. Mr. Speaker, today I will introduce the Teacher 
Investment and Enhancement Act (TIE Act) along with my colleagues Steve 
Horn, Zoe Lofgren and Ron Paul to encourage secondary teachers to go 
back and take college courses in their fields of teaching.
  While it is important to know how to teach, it is equally if not more 
important to know what you are teaching. This was proven, 
unfortunately, with the disappointing outcome of U.S. 12th graders in 
the Third International Math and Science Study (TIMSS). Our 12th 
graders out-performed only two countries--Cyprus and South Africa--out 
of 21 countries in math and science. Education Secretary Richard Riley 
attributed this to the fact that ``too many science and math teachers 
are teaching out-of-field.''
  The TIE Act would increase the Lifetime Learning Tax Credit for 
tuition expenses for the continuing education of secondary teachers in 
their fields of teaching.
  We need to ensure teachers are well-educated. How can we expect our 
children to learn a subject if their teachers are not knowledgeable in 
the subjects themselves? We simply cannot. Offering more education 
opportunities for our teachers is an investment in our children and one 
we cannot afford not to take. I strongly encourage my colleagues to 
cosponsor this important piece of legislation and work for its passage.

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