[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 159 (Thursday, November 11, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2360]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           SENSE OF CONGRESS THAT SCHOOLS SHOULD USE PHONICS

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. BARON P. HILL

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, November 4, 1999

  Mr. HILL of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, with all due respect to my 
colleague from Indiana, I regret that I cannot support this resolution. 
Phonics is a proven method of reading instruction that has a place 
alongside other approaches to teaching reading. But I think this 
resolution goes a bit too far. The Federal Government should not tell 
professional educators in our States and local school districts how to 
teach reading to their students. I believe communities know best when 
it comes to educating their kids and I had thought my colleague, Mr. 
McIntosh, would agree with this sentiment.
  I'm concerned about education policy as a representative in Congress, 
but I have a much greater stake in education as the father of public 
school kids and the husband of a public school teacher. My wife, Betty, 
is a middle school math teacher. My two oldest daughters are products 
of the public schools and my youngest still attends a public school.
  I hear every day from them about the successes and challenges in our 
schools. That's how I know the power to make decisions should be at the 
local level and the focus should be on how to help our communities 
better educate our students.
  We should always keep in mind that the Federal Government is only a 
junior partner in our Nation's education process. More than 95 percent 
of the money our country spends on education comes from the States or 
from local communities. The ultimate day-to-day responsibility of 
running our Nation's schools does not belong to the Federal Government, 
but to the parents, teachers, and administrators who work with our 
children every day.
  The Federal Government plays a limited, but important, role in our 
education system. Its role is to help States and localities address 
their toughest challenges. Through programs like Title I and Head 
Start, the Federal Government helps disadvantaged kids and schools with 
challenging student populations. It helps millions of kids to go to 
college through student loan programs. It also provides educators with 
important research on teaching methods and school performance.
  When the Federal Government addresses these important education 
priorities, it must spend the taxpayers' money responsibly. The Federal 
Government has a duty to ensure that its resources are actually being 
spent on the problems we are trying to solve. But beyond targeting 
federal funds to specific areas where local schools need help. Congress 
should resist micro-managing and allow local schools to make their own 
decisions.
  We have to maintain the delicate balance between Federal educational 
priorities and local control of schools. States and localities must 
have the flexibility to address their problems in ways that make sense 
for them, but our Federal resources must remain targeted at the people 
and communities who need them most. While it makes sense to give States 
and localities discretion, I don't believe we should send money to 
States without asking for accountability and results.
  Governor George W. Bush of Texas was on the right track when he 
recently said: ``The Federal Government must be humble enough to stay 
out of the day-to-day operation of local schools. It must be wise 
enough to give States and schools more authority and freedom. And it 
must be strong enough to require proven performance in return.''
  This resolution goes too far because it directs schools and teachers 
to use a specific educational technique. I'm going to vote against this 
resolution because Congress should not be dictating a school's 
curriculum from Washington.
  The Federal Government's role is to support the people who educate 
our kids, not to tell them how to teach reading. We should stick to the 
things that we can do. We must resist the temptation to meddle in 
places where we have no business. That takes humility and a measure of 
wisdom, but I am confident that together we can find the strength to do 
the right things for our students.

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