[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 178 (Thursday, December 20, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2345]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     CONFERENCE REPORT ON H.R. 1, NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 13, 2001

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commend my colleagues Mr. 
Miller and Mr. Boehner for their hard work in crafting a bi-partisan 
education bill that provides real reform and real investments to make 
that reform a reality. I am pleased that in the midst of fighting the 
war of terrorism, we were able to remain focused on our most pressing 
domestic priority--the education of our children.
  This bill tackles the persistent achievement gap between poor and 
more affluent school districts. Now more than ever education funding 
will be targeted at the students who need it most. For students in 
Providence and Cranston, Rhode Island, the revised Title I funding 
formula will translate into desperately needed books and supplies, 
bilingual education, more high-quality afterschool programs, and 
expanded access to technology. In addition, H.R. 1 authorizes critical 
funding for school construction and modernization. With three-quarters 
of our schools in disrepair, this need is overwhelming and cannot wait.
  H.R. 1 also expands access to teacher quality programs to give 
teachers better support, mentoring, and salary incentives. The more 
support we provide to our teachers the more effective they will be in 
the classroom and--most importantly--the more students will learn.
  While I was disappointed that the conferees were not able to work out 
a compromise on funding for students with disabilities, I am looking 
forward to working with my colleagues next year to ensure that IDEA 
receives the investment it deserves. Schools across the country are 
bleeding from the cost of educating students with special needs. The 
federal government made a promise to help ease the financial burden of 
educating these students, and we owe it to our schools and our children 
to honor that promise. But despite its lack of full funding for IDEA, 
H.R. 1 is a strong bill, and I am proud to support it.

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