[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 99 (Wednesday, July 20, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8563-S8564]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE:
  S. 1436. A bill to award grants to eligible entities to enable the 
entities to reduce the rate of underage alcohol use and binge drinking 
among students at institutions of higher education; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I join several of my colleagues today to 
introduce a series of bills related to the reauthorization of the 
Higher Education Act (HEA). These bills emphasize a number of issues 
that are vital to higher education, including teacher quality, 
recruitment, and retention; loan forgiveness for social workers, family 
lawyers, and early childhood teachers; and the reduction of drug use 
and underage drinking at our colleges and universities.
  The quality of a student's education is the direct result of the 
quality of that student's teachers. If we don't have well trained 
teachers, then future generations of our children will not be well 
educated. That is why I am introducing a bill ``Ready to Educate All 
Children Act'' that would provide $200 million in grants to our schools 
of education to partner with high-need local schools to ensure that our 
teachers are receiving the best, most extensive training available 
before they enter the classroom.
  Studies find that a majority of graduates of schools of education 
believe that the traditional teacher preparation program left them ill 
prepared for the challenges and rigors of the classroom. Part of the 
responsibility for this lies in the hands of our schools of education. 
However, Congress also has a responsibility to give our schools of 
education the tools they need to make necessary improvements. This new 
bill would create a competitive grant program for schools of education, 
which partner with low-income schools to create clinical programs to 
train teachers. Additionally, it would require schools of education to 
make internal changes by working with other departments at the 
university to ensure that teachers are receiving the highest quality 
education in core academic subjects. Finally, it would require the 
college or university to demonstrate a commitment to improving their 
schools of education by providing matching funds.
  Another bill I am introducing today, is the ``Collaborative 
Agreements to Recruit Educators Act,'' which also would encourage 
improvement in the education of our Nation's low-income students. 
Children raised in poverty have a much more difficult time in finishing 
high school and going on to college. While about seventy percent of 
children in America will graduate from high school, that rate drops to 
fifty percent for low-income students. We know that every day, about 
3,000 children drop out of school. Our Nation's inner city schools have 
some of the lowest rates of graduation. I strongly believe that 
education is one of the most important ways to break the cycle of 
poverty. To break that cycle, we must keep our children in school, help 
them graduate from high school, and increase their access to higher 
education.
  My bill would provide grants for collaborative agreements to between 
local education agencies in low-income communities and to colleges of 
education. These partnerships would work to provide services, such as 
mentoring, tutoring, and scholarships through the college of education 
to the students at the partnering school in order to 1. encourage those 
students to graduate from high school, 2. let them know of 
opportunities within higher education, and (3) encourage them to become 
teachers, which are so badly needed.
  Another complex issue affecting the teaching force is the high 
percentage of disillusioned beginning teachers who leave the field. 
This bill would help combat this issue, as well. Schools of education 
receiving these grants would be responsible for following their 
graduates and continuing to provide assistance after they enter the 
classroom. The more we invest in the education of teachers--especially 
once they have entered the profession--the more likely they will remain 
in the classroom.
  To further help teacher quality and retention, I am introducing a 
bill ``The Master Teacher Scholarship Act''--to establish a Master's in 
Education Scholarship Program. The lack of promotions and salary 
increases are some of the most pervasive reasons for the 
disillusionment of teachers. This disillusionment is becoming a crisis 
as half of teachers leave the profession altogether within their first 
five years of teaching. To both improve the quality of teachers and 
increase their retention, this bill would provide $30 million in grants 
to schools of education to administer scholarships to eligible 
teachers. In return for the scholarships, teachers would agree to teach 
for another five years and mentor a novice teacher for two years.
  Today, along with Senator Dodd, I am introducing the ``Paul Wellstone 
Early Educator Loan Forgiveness Act.'' Our dear friend and colleague, 
Senator Wellstone, and I had been working on this legislation together 
before his tragic death. I know he cared deeply about this issue and 
about making sure that all children receive a quality education. He was 
passionate about that. Though our bill was originally called the 
``Early Care and Education Loan Forgiveness Act,'' we have renamed our 
bill in Paul's memory.
  Our bill would expand the loan forgiveness program so that it 
benefits not just childcare workers, but also early childhood 
educators. This loan forgiveness program would serve as an incentive to 
keep those educators in the field for longer periods of time. Research 
shows that children who attend quality early childcare programs when 
they were three or four years old scored better on math, language arts, 
and social skills in early elementary school than children who attended 
poor quality childcare programs. In short, children in early learning 
programs with high quality teachers--teachers with a Bachelor's degree 
or an Associate's degree or higher--do substantially better.
  When we examine the number and recent growth of pre-primary education 
programs, it becomes difficult to differentiate between early education 
and childcare settings because they are so often intertwined--
especially considering that about 12 million children younger than age 
five spend part of their time with a care provider other than a parent 
and that demand for quality childcare and education is growing as more 
mothers enter the workforce.
  Because this bill targets loan forgiveness to those educators working 
in low-income schools or childcare settings, we can make significant 
strides toward providing high quality education for all of our young 
children, regardless of socioeconomic status. The bill would serve a 
twofold function. First, it would reward professionals for their 
training. Second, it would encourage professionals to remain in the 
profession over longer periods of time, since more time in the 
profession leads to higher percentages of loans forgiveness. The bill 
would result in more educated individuals with more teaching experience 
and lower turnover rates, each of which enhance student performance.
  I encourage my colleagues to join me in this effort to help ensure 
that truly

[[Page S8564]]

no children--especially our youngest children--are left behind.
  I also am working on two bills with my friend and colleague from West 
Virginia, Senator Rockefeller. These bills would provide loan 
forgiveness to students who dedicate their careers to working in the 
realm of child welfare, including social workers, who work for child 
protective services, and family law experts.

  Currently, there aren't enough social workers to fill available jobs 
in the area of child welfare. Furthermore, the number of social work 
job openings is expected to increase faster than the average for all 
occupations through 2010. The need for highly qualified social workers 
in the child protective services is reaching crisis level.
  We also need more qualified individuals focusing on family law. The 
wonderful thing about family law is its focus on rehabilitation--that 
is the rehabilitation of families by helping them through life's 
transitions, whether it is a family going through a divorce, a family 
dealing with their troubled teenager in the juvenile system, or a child 
getting adopted and becoming a member of a new family.
  Across the United States, family, juvenile, and domestic relations 
courts are experiencing a shortage of qualified attorneys. As many of 
my colleagues and I know, law school is an expensive investment. In the 
last 20 years, tuition has increased more than 200 percent. Currently, 
the average rate of law school debt is about $80,000 per graduate. To 
be sure, few law school graduates can afford to work in the public 
sector because debts prevent even the most dedicated public service 
lawyer from being able to take these low-paying jobs. This results in a 
shortage of family lawyers.
  The shortage of family law attorneys also disproportionately impacts 
juveniles. The lack of available representation causes children to 
spend more time in foster care because cases are adjourned or postponed 
when they simply cannot find an attorney to represent their rights or 
those of the parent or guardian. Furthermore, the number of children 
involved in the court system is sharply increasing. We need to ensure 
that the interests of these children are taken care of by making 
certain they have an advocate--someone working solely on their behalf. 
By offering loan forgiveness to those willing to pursue careers in the 
child welfare field, we can increase the number of highly qualified and 
dedicated individuals who work in the realm of child welfare and family 
law.
  Finally, I am introducing a bill today that would help address an 
epidemic--the epidemic of underage drinking on college and university 
campuses across the United States. This bill would provide grants to 
states to establish statewide partnerships among colleges and 
universities and the surrounding communities to work together to reduce 
underage and binge drinking and illicit drug use by students.
  Many States, including my home State of Ohio, have coalitions that 
deal specifically with the culture of alcohol and drug abuse on 
America's college campuses. They work with the surrounding communities, 
including local residents; bar, restaurant, and shop owners; and law 
enforcement officials toward a goal of changing the pervasive culture 
of drug and alcohol abuse. They provide alternative alcohol-free 
events, as well as support groups for those who choose not to drink. 
They also educate students about the dangers of alcohol and drug use.
  Furthermore, the coalitions recognize that while it is important to 
promote an alcohol aware and drug-free campus community, if the 
community surrounding the campus does not promote these initiatives, 
there will be no long-term solutions. Therefore, these coalitions also 
have worked to establish regulations both on and off campus, which will 
help our Nation's youth to stay healthy, alive, and get the most out of 
their time at college. Some of these regulations include the 
registration of kegs. This provides accountability for both the store 
and the student. This is just an example of one step that colleges, 
local communities, and organizations can take.
  To help start the expansion of these coalitions, this bill would 
provide $5 million in grants. This is an important demonstration 
project that would help lead to positive effects for our young people. 
It is up to us to change the culture, which has been perpetuated by 
years of complacency and a dismissal tone of ``that's just the way it 
is in college.'' We must protect the health and education of our young 
people by changing this culture of abuse--and that is exactly what this 
bill would help do.
  I thank all of my colleagues who have worked with me on these bills. 
I look forward to the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act and 
working with Chairman Enzi and Ranking Member Kennedy to incorporate 
these important measures.
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