[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 167 (Wednesday, December 5, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2210]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                               EDUCATION

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. JOHNNY ISAKSON

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 5, 2001

  Mr. ISAKSON. Mr. Speaker, within days, the Conference Committee on 
House Bill 1 will complete its work and President Bush's campaign 
commitment to ``leave no child behind'' will be before Congress for 
final approval.
  As a member of the Conference Committee, I am very proud of the 
months of work, and the tireless efforts of Chairman John Boehner. As a 
result of John's leadership, America's public schools will have the 
resources, the tools, the flexibility, and the accountability to close 
the achievement gap between our best and our poorest performing 
children.
  Since its inception thirty-five years ago, Title One of the 
Elementary and Secondary Education Act was designed to improve the 
performance of America's poorest and most at risk students. One Hundred 
and Twenty Five Billion Dollars later the performance of these children 
has not improved and the gap between our poorest and our best has 
actually increased. America's children and America's taxpayers deserve 
better, and this Conference Report demands better.
  In my home district in Atlanta, Georgia, there is a talented and 
nationally syndicated talk show host named Neal Boortz. Neal is a 
conservative libertarian whose favorite target for criticism is often 
public schools or as he calls them, government schools. While Neal 
sometimes carries his criticism to the extreme, he is often on target. 
Neal will be happy that this Education Reform requires exactly what he 
has sought: accountability, competition, and results.
  There is another reason Neal Boortz should be very happy. His able 
and talented assistant, Belinda Skelton, is expecting her first child 
in May, and when that child reaches six years of age America's schools 
will have improved dramatically because of five major provisions of 
this reform.
  1. President Bush's Early Reading First initiative will ensure that 
every child reaching third grade will be able to read and comprehend at 
that level.
  2. Every child in third through eighth grade will be annually tested 
in reading and math to measure the progress of their improvement, 
identify any problems and provide remediation where necessary.
  3. Test results will be disaggregated so that every teacher, every 
school and every parent knows exactly how each student is performing 
and progressing. There will be no more hiding poor performers by 
averaging scores by grade.
  4. Schools that fail to improve student performance will be held 
accountable, and parents of children in failing schools will be given 
choices including public school choice and parental direction of 
federal Title 1 funds to public or private supplemental educational 
services to address their child's needs.
  5. Local School Boards of Education will be given flexibility in 
federal funds to address the educational needs of their children and 
their community. Federal control and federal mandates are reduced, so 
schools are held responsible for results in the performance of children 
and not satisfying bureaucratic red tape.
  Mr. Speaker, President Bush's pledge to ``leave no child behind'' is 
a promise to Belinda Skelton's child and every child. It is a 
commitment to America's future, and an acknowledgement of past 
failures. I urge each member of Congress to join with me and with the 
President in our commitment to ``Leave No Child Behind.'' Vote yes for 
real reform, local control, accountability, and parental involvement in 
public education.

                          ____________________