[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 29 (Wednesday, March 15, 2000)]
[House]
[Page H1001]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 EDUCATION REFORM MUST BE TOP PRIORITY

  (Mr. SCHAFFER asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, Alexis de Toqueville wrote in his famous 
work Democracy in America that in America there cannot be enough of 
knowledge, for all knowledge benefits both those who possess it and 
those who do not.
  Alexis de Toqueville is quoted all the time, and there is good reason 
for it. His commentary here on the value of knowledge, about how 
education is important to everyone, is an example of his wisdom. 
Education is an issue that is important to those with children and to 
those who are not parents.
  If a generation of American school children is receiving an inferior 
education, that is a serious concern for all of us. Of course, the 
reality is that our Nation's public schools include excellent schools, 
some that are unremarkable and others that are simply a disgrace.
  It is the general trend toward mediocrity, the systematic dumbing 
down of curricula, textbooks, and standards, that I find most alarming.
  I know that millions of parents agree, and that is why education 
reform must be a top priority for this Congress.

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