[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 41 (Tuesday, April 4, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E511]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 29, 2006

       The House in Committee of the Whole House on the State of 
     the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R. 609) to 
     amend and extend the Higher Education Act of 1965:

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. I would be remiss if I did not 
make clear to the Chairman and to the Ranking Democrat on the Committee 
my very real concern about the Committee's failure to address an 
obvious shortcoming in this bill resulting from the creation of the 
Academic Competitiveness Grants and the SMART Grants in the Omnibus 
Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-171). Namely, while we have 
offered low-income, language minority, and ``first-generation'' college 
students an attractive reward--significant grant aid to help pay for 
college--especially for those who major in the STEM areas and in 
foreign language--we have not provided a means for many of them to 
qualify for such grants.
  Two things must be done to ensure that we build a pipeline for these 
students to qualify for these important new additions to our Federal 
Student Aid arsenal if we are to pave the way for access and 
educational opportunity for all of our students. First, we must help 
prepare low-income, language minority, and ``first-generation'' 
students to be successful in the eighteen core courses that the extent 
research tells us will help ensure academic success in college. Second, 
we must work to be sure that those courses--Algebra I and II, Plane 
Geometry, Biology, Chemistry and Physics, World History, Geography, 
Economics, Government, English, and Foreign Language--are all well-
taught in every high school in America.
  In many urban and rural high schools, academically rigorous college 
preparatory courses are simply not taught, and our students and the 
Nation suffer as a result. This week, the Center for Education Policy 
released the results of a recent survey under the No Child Left Behind 
Act. The Center for Education Policy survey not only found that 
teachers are ``teaching to the test,'' but that non-reading and math 
course work is being short-changed or eliminated to ensure that poor 
performing students achieve the NCLB performance levels. This means 
that history and science are not being taught so kids can perform well 
on reading and math tests. Clearly this will achieve one goal, but it 
will sacrifice these students' future preparedness for post-secondary 
academic success.
  We can do better and we must. I want to work with my colleague 
Representative Fattah, with you Mr. Chairman and with my friend from 
California Mr. Miller to fashion a solution that will work.

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