[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 62 (Thursday, May 18, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E761-E762]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    TERRACE COMMUNITY CHARTER SCHOOL

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. BOB SCHAFFER

                              of colorado

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 18, 2000

  Mr. SCHAFFER. Mr. Speaker, today I pay tribute to an outstanding 
charter school in Tampa, Florida. The reason a Member of Congress from 
the great state of Colorado would recognize and congratulate the 
Terrace Community School in Florida is because I have visited the 
school and heard its principal, Mr. David Lourie, speak eloquently 
about its successes.
  On March 27, 2000, the Education Subcommittee on Oversight and 
investigations held a hearing at TCS entitled, ``Putting Performance 
First: Academic Accountability and School Choice in Florida.'' Chairman 
Pete Hoekstra of Michigan conducted this hearing as part of his 
Crossroads 2000 project, a continuation and expansion of his ground-
breaking education investigation, which culminated in the Education at 
a Crossroads report. As a member of the Oversight and Investigations 
Subcommittee and a passionate education reform advocate, I have 
attended several Crossroads hearings to find out what is working and 
what isn't in education across the country.
  The latest installment of this important examination of American 
education took us to Florida, where we heard about the exciting efforts 
to raise the academic achievement for all

[[Page E762]]

students, implement school choice, increase school accountability, 
empower parents and improve the Florida education system. At the 
forefront of education reform in Florida are the state's charter 
schools. Specifically, the Terrance Community School (TCS) is an 
outstanding example of what education can, and should, be.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to share with you a few facts about TCS and its 
successes. First, TCS bills itself as a ``public school of choice.'' To 
some, that may be a contradiction in terms, to others, a threat, but to 
me, it represents the first step toward a free-market education system 
whereby parents can choose the best school for their child. TCS will 
only remain a ``public school of choice'' if it remains free of federal 
government intrusion and regulation, and if it satisfies its 
customers--parents and students.
  To date, these two criteria are being met. In terms of freedom to 
educate, Florida Governor Jeb Bush and Lt. Governor Frank Brogan have 
been national leaders in liberating education from the shackles of 
government regulation. In addition, Members of Congress like Chairman 
Hoekstra and me have worked tirelessly to ensure charter schools remain 
free from the tangled web of federal government involvement. And, TCS 
is clearly meeting the needs of its customers. According to its 1998-
1999 annual shareholder report, or education prospectus, of the 118 
students who completed the 1998-1999 school year, 112 have re-enrolled 
for 1999-2000, a return rate of 95 percent. This is an unequivocal 
demonstration of value. Further, when surveyed by TCS, the parents 
clearly endorsed the education taking place there. Ninety-five percent 
of parents are very satisfied with their child's experience at TCS, 
while ninety-three percent felt the teachers and administration are 
fulfilling the mission of the school.
  Second, the mission of TCS is crucial to its success. The very first 
objective of TCS is to provide a foundation of knowledge which will 
allow students to have successful academic careers. Elaborating on that 
point, TCS states, ``We believe that all children can learn and that 
children will rise to the high expectations of their parents and 
teachers.'' And what does TCS teach? ``We offer the students the 
opportunity to be challenged by a rigorous, classic core curriculum 
taught in a planned progression by teachers who stress abundant 
practice and careful feedback.'' Finally, recognizing that education 
involves more than just books, the TCS ``founders believe that, in 
addition to a strong academic program, a school should help guide each 
child to develop his or her character.'' This is clearly a blueprint 
and commitment to effective, excellent education.
  Third, I am pleased to report TCS has been successful in meeting its 
stated goals. For example, the class of 2002 raised their median 
national percentile on CTB/McGraw-Hill's ``Terra Nova Multiple 
Assessments Test'' in every category tested--reading, language, math, 
science and social studies. In math, TCS students jumped a remarkable 
13 percentage points. The class of 2001 also achieved exceptional 
results on Terra Nova, showing gains in all subject areas, and an 11 
point increase in science. Finally, the class of 2000 demonstrated 
growth in all but one subject area, and improved its overall Terra Nova 
score by 10 percentage points. On another measure of student 
performance, the math FCAT (Florida Comprehensive Achievement Test), 
TCS fifth-graders outperformed a majority of their peers in the county 
and across the state.
  Charter schools must prove they are fulfilling their educational 
goals and that their students are, in fact, learning. They must do so, 
first and foremost, to meet their responsibility to educate children, 
to satisfy the terms of their charters, and to keep their customers, 
the parents, satisfied and willing to reinvest their most precious 
resource, their children, in the school. There can be no question TCS 
is achieving its goals and meeting its customers' needs.
  As catalysts for positive change in children's learning, parents' 
options, school system quality and state reform efforts, charter 
schools are the vanguard. As exemplified by the Terrace Community 
School in Tampa, Florida, or the Liberty Common School in Fort Collins, 
Colorado, charter schools provide a desperately needed alternative to 
the failing government-owned monopoly schools. However, we must guard 
against overzealousness at the federal level. Charter schools have been 
successful because they have been free of the U.S. Department of 
Education and federal bureaucrats. Charter schools succeed and thrive 
today because of the strength of state charter school laws and because 
of the leaders in these schools.
  Mr. Speaker, I applaud the efforts of Mr. Laurie, the teachers, 
parents and students of TCS, and hope their achievement, optimism, and 
freedom continue unabated for many years to come.

                          ____________________