[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 37 (Tuesday, March 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E406]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            RURAL EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHRISTOPHER JOHN

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 20, 2001

  Mr. JOHN. Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to reintroduce the Rural 
Education Development Initiative (REDI) Act which calls for an 
increased focus on rural education and provides assistance to the many 
small, poor, rural schools in our country. As the House begins the 
reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, REDI 
will ensure that the educational opportunities for rural areas are not 
forgotten.
  The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) reports that 46 
percent of our Nation's public schools serve rural areas, yet they only 
receive 22 percent of the Nation's education funds annually. In 
addition data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress 
(NAEP) consistently shows large gaps between the achievement of 
students in high-poverty schools and those in other schools.
  Another critical problem for rural school districts involves the 
hiring and retention of qualified administrators and certified 
teachers, especially in special education, science, and mathematics. 
Consequently, teachers in rural schools are almost twice as likely to 
provide instruction in two or more subjects than teachers in urban 
schools.
  More importantly, many small school districts often can't qualify for 
federal programs based on their small enrollments, and some money-
distribution formulas do not fit many states' county-wide system of 
school districting.
  All these problems add up to one thing: our rural schools need more 
funding opportunities. REDI provides this opportunity and gives our 
rural students a chance to succeed. This legislation creates a grant 
program to assist rural areas with technology efforts, professional 
development activities designed to prepare teachers who are teaching 
out of their primary subject area, academic enrichment programs, and 
activities to recruit and retain highly qualified teachers in special 
education, mathematics, or science.
  REDI is bi-partisan and is supported by the National Education 
Association (NEA). I look forward to working with my Colleagues to 
enact REDI and realize our goal of parity for rural students.

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