[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 78 (Thursday, May 27, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1134-E1135]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              INTRODUCTION OF THE TEACHER EMPOWERMENT ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                     HON. HOWARD P. ``BUCK'' McKEON

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 27, 1999

  Mr. McKEON. Mr. Speaker, today I am joining with the distinguished 
Chairman of the Committee on Education and the Workforce, Mr. Goodling, 
Mr. Castle, the Speaker of the House, the Majority Leader, Mr. Watts, 
Mr. Blunt, Ms. Pryce, and other distinguished Members of the House to 
introduce the Teacher Empowerment Act. This legislation will make a 
significant and positive impact on how we prepare our Nation's teaching 
force by providing States and local school districts with needed 
funding for the provision of high quality teacher training and for the 
hiring of new teachers, where necessary.
  In the development of the Teacher Empowerment Act, we have made every 
effort to put together a bill that is in the best interests of 
children, parents, and teachers. We have also tried to include the best 
elements of teacher training proposals from the Governors, the 
Administration, and different Members of Congress, on a bipartisan 
basis. I hope that by the time this legislation is considered by the 
full House, we will have a bipartisan proposal that will vastly expand 
training opportunities for our Nation's teachers and increase the 
achievement of all of our Nation's students. I intend to work closely 
with Mr. Martinez, the Ranking Democrat Member on the Subcommittee on 
Postsecondary Education,

[[Page E1135]]

Training and Life-long Learning, and others, on a bipartisan basis, to 
bring this bill to the floor of the House as rapidly as possible.
  We believe that parents and other taxpayers have the right to 
information about student achievement and the quality of the teachers 
in their schools. Our bill holds schools accountable for raising 
student academic achievement, and we ensure that parents know the 
quality of their children's teachers.
  We encourage intensive, long-term teacher training programs, focused 
on the subject matter taught by the teacher. We know that this works. 
If localities are unable to provide such professional development, 
teachers will be given the choice to select their own high quality 
teacher training programs. For the first time, we're giving teachers a 
choice in how they upgrade their skills. Our Teacher Opportunity 
Payments will empower individual teachers, or groups of teachers, to 
choose the training methods that best meets their classroom needs.
  The Teacher Empowerment Act maintains an important focus on math and 
science, as under current law, but the legislation expands teacher 
training beyond just the subjects of math and science. The legislation 
ensures that teachers will be provided with training of the highest 
quality in all of the core academic subjects.
  By combining the funding of several current Federal education 
programs, the Teacher Empowerment Act provides over $2 billion annually 
over the next five years to give States, and more importantly local 
school districts, the flexibility they need to improve both teacher 
quality and student performance. This legislation also encourages 
innovation in how schools improve the quality of their teachers. Some 
localities may choose to pursue tenure reform or merit-based 
performance plans. Others may want to try differential and bonus pay 
for teachers qualified to teach subjects in high demand. Still others 
may want to explore alternative routes to certification.
  The Teacher Empowerment Act continues to support local initiatives to 
reduce class size. In fact, schools would be required to use a portion 
of their funds for hiring teachers to reduce class size. However, 
unlike the President's program, no set amount is required for the 
hiring of new teachers. Schools will be allowed to determine the right 
balance between quality teachers and reducing class size. Schools will 
also be allowed to hire special education teachers with these funds.
  All of these are feasible in our legislation, because we don't try to 
tell schools what the approach should be. We don't want to impose any 
one system that every school must follow in order to upgrade the 
quality of its teachers. That won't work, because one size does not fit 
all.
  The Teacher Empowerment Act is good, balanced legislation. It 
provides the flexibility that States and local school districts need to 
improve the quality of their teaching force with two goals in mind: 
increases in student achievement; and increases in the knowledge of 
teachers in the subjects they teach. I encourage all of my colleagues 
in the House to support this important legislation as we work to 
improve our nation's schools.

                          ____________________