[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 115 (Thursday, September 3, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Pages S9942-S9943]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         ADDITIONAL STATEMENTS

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                       NEW WISCONSIN SAGE SCHOOLS

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, as children around the country 
head back to school this week, I come to the floor to speak about 44 
Wisconsin schools with an extra reason to be excited on their first day 
of school this year. The students, teachers and parents at these 44 
schools are excited because they are now participants in Wisconsin's 
successful pilot program, the Student Achievement Guarantee in 
Education, known as the SAGE program. These 44 schools deserve 
congratulations and I want to recognize some of them here today on the 
Senate floor.
  New SAGE participants include Giese Elementary School in Racine, 
McKinley Elementary School in Kenosha, Allen-Field Elementary School in 
Milwaukee, Chegwin Elementary School in Fond du Lac and many, many, 
more.
  The new SAGE schools are spread throughout Wisconsin from LaCrosse in 
the east, to Sheboygan in the west, Ashland in the north and Madison in 
the south. They include schools in Wisconsin's most populous areas, 
such as, Milwaukee, Madison, Racine and Waukesha, and also, the rural 
communities of Winter, Kickapoo and Baraboo.
  Mr. President, Wisconsin's SAGE program is a model for the nation in 
how to implement successful education reforms in our public schools, 
most importantly, reducing public school class size. I congratulate 
those in Wisconsin that have made the SAGE program possible for these 
additional twenty schools and take this opportunity to again alert my 
Senate colleagues to Wisconsin's innovative SAGE program.
  Mr. President, for many years now, I have been a strong advocate of 
federal support for states that are trying to reduce class size in 
their schools. I have witnessed first-hand, how reducing class size 
enhanced the overall quality of education in Wisconsin's SAGE classes. 
Those participating in SAGE, teachers, parents, students and school 
administrators, report that student academic performance, student 
behavior and teacher morale all improved. In addition, comprehensive 
evaluations of Wisconsin's SAGE program have confirmed that small class 
size promotes effective teaching and learning.
  Leading scientific studies of the impact of small class size, 
including Tennessee's STAR study and its follow-up, the Lasting Benefit 
study, found that students in small classes in their early years earned 
higher scores on basic skills tests in all four years and in all types 
of schools. Follow-up studies have shown that these achievement gains 
were sustained in later years, even if students go on to larger 
classes. Along with important factors in quality education like teacher 
quality, high expectations, and parental involvement, the significance 
of small class size should not be underestimated and cannot be ignored.
  When asked about her experience as a kindergarten teacher at Webster 
Stanley Elementary School in Oshkosh, a new SAGE school, Lauren 
Flanagan said she noticed that she could visit with each table more 
frequently and the children listened and learned more readily. In 
addition, she said about the SAGE program, quote, ``It just makes such 
a difference. I had a chance to visit schools around the state 
participating in the SAGE program, and what

[[Page S9943]]

I observed is that they were much further along in their curriculum. 
The students were much more advanced.'' end quote.
  Mr. President, I have been so impressed with the success of the SAGE 
program that I introduced the National SAGE Act, legislation to offer 
grants to qualifying states to assist them in reducing public school 
class size in the earliest grades. The National SAGE Act authorizes $75 
million over five years to fund a limited number of demonstration 
grants to states that create innovative programs to reduce public 
school class size and improve educational performance, as Wisconsin has 
done. The Secretary of Education would choose the states to receive 
funding based on several factors, including a state's need to reduce 
class size, the ability of a state education agency to fund half the 
program, and the degree to which parents, teachers, administrators, and 
teacher organizations are consulted in designing the program.
  The National SAGE Act is fully offset by cuts in a wasteful and 
unnecessary federal subsidy that benefits research and development for 
the world's largest aircraft manufacturer. We can fund this important 
SAGE program, while simultaneously reducing the federal budget deficit 
by more than $2.1 billion over five years.
  My legislation also includes a comprehensive research and evaluation 
component that would document the benefits of smaller class size in the 
earliest grades, and support efforts to reduce class size in schools 
all over the country.
  I think we all can agree that there are no easy solutions to the 
problems in our public schools. I believe, however, that targeting 
federal funds, matched on a 50-50 basis with state funding, to assist 
school districts moving toward smaller class size, is an effective use 
of federal dollars. The federal government, in cooperation with local 
school boards and state governments, has a responsibility to take 
positive steps toward helping school districts reduce class size as a 
part of an overall effort to improve student learning. As we near the 
end of the 105th Congress, I hope my Senate colleagues will embrace 
SAGE as a serious and exciting reform effort and act to assist states 
trying to reduce public school class size.
  Again, congratulations to the twenty new Wisconsin SAGE schools--you 
are off to a great start for a successful school year.

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