[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 26 (Thursday, March 9, 2000)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1384-S1385]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      THE AFFORDABLE EDUCATION ACT

  Mr. KOHL. Mr. President, I rise today as a proud cosponsor of ``The 
Public Education Reinvestment, Reinvention, and Responsibility Act of 
2000''--better known as ``Three R's.'' I have been pleased to work with 
the education community in Wisconsin, as well as Senator Lieberman and 
our other cosponsors, on this important piece of legislation. I believe 
that this bill represents a realistic, effective approach to improving 
public education--where 90% of students are educated.
  We have made great strides in the past six years toward improving 
public education. Nearly all States now have academic standards in 
place. More students are taking more challenging courses. Test scores 
have risen slightly. Dropout rates have decreased.
  In Wisconsin, educators have worked hard to help students achieve. 
Fourth-graders and eighth-graders are showing continued improvement on 
State tests in nearly every subject, particularly in science and math. 
Third-graders are scoring higher on reading tests. Test results show 
some improvement across all groups, including African American, 
disabled, and economically disadvantaged groups.
  Unfortunately, despite all of our best efforts, we still face huge 
challenges in improving public schools. The most recent TIMSS study of 
students from 41 different countries found that many American students 
score far behind those in other countries. In Wisconsin, scores in 
math, science and writing are getting better but still need 
improvement. And test scores of students from low-income families, 
while showing some improvement, are still too low.
  I strongly support the notion that the Federal government must 
continue to be a partner with States and local educators as we strive 
to improve public schools. As a nation, it is in all of our best 
interests to ensure that our children receive the best education 
possible. It is vital to their future success, and the success of our 
country.
  However, addressing problems in education is going to take more than 
cosmetic reform. We are going to have to take a fresh look at the 
structure of Federal education programs. We need to let go of the tired 
partisan fighting over more spending versus block grants and take a 
middle ground approach that will truly help our States, school 
districts--and most importantly, our students.
  Our ``Three R's'' bill does just that. It makes raising student 
achievement for all students--and eliminating the achievement gap 
between low-income and more affluent students--our top priorities. To 
accomplish this, our bill centers around three principles.
  First, we believe that we must continue to make a stronger investment 
in education, and that Federal dollars must be targeted to the neediest 
students. A recent GAO study found that Federal education dollars are 
significantly more targeted to poor districts than money spent by 
States. Although Federal funds make up only 6-7% of all money spent on 
education, it is essential that we target those funds where they are 
needed the most.
  Second, we believe that States and local school districts are in the 
best position to know what their educational needs are. They should be 
given more flexibility to determine how they will use Federal dollars 
to meet those needs.
  Finally--and I believe this is the key component of our approach--we 
believe that in exchange for this increased flexibility, there must 
also be accountability for results. These principles are

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a pyramid, with accountability being the base that supports the federal 
government's grant of flexibility and funds.
  For too long, we have seen a steady stream of Federal dollars flow to 
States and school districts--regardless of how well they educated their 
students. This has to stop. We need to reward schools that do a good 
job. We need to provide assistance and support to schools that are 
struggling to do a better job. And we need to stop subsidizing failure. 
Our highest priority must be educating children--not perpetuating 
broken systems.
  I believe the ``Three R's bill is a strong starting point for taking 
a fresh look at public education. We need to build upon all the 
progress we've made, and work to address the problems we still face. 
This bill--by using the concepts of increased funding, targeting, 
flexibility--and most importantly, accountability--demonstrates how we 
can work with our State and local partners to make sure every child 
receives the highest quality education--a chance to live a successful 
productive life. I look forward to working with all of my colleagues on 
both sides of the aisle, as well as education groups in my State, as 
Congress debates ESEA in the coming months.

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