[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 102 (Friday, July 28, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1613]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[[Page E1613]]
 WAIVING POINTS OF ORDER AGAINST CONFERENCE REPORT ON S. 250, CARL D. 
     PERKINS CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IMPROVEMENT ACT OF 2006

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2006

  Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to support the Conference 
Report for S. 250, legislation to reauthorize the Carl Perkins 
Vocational and Technical Education Act. This conference report is the 
product of an all too rare, bipartisan, good faith effort to pass real 
legislation that makes a difference in our communities across the 
Nation. This conference report also sends an important message to the 
President who has proposed to eliminate federal career and vocational 
education programs: These programs work and we are united in our 
support for them.
  I am particularly pleased that this bill includes my amendment to 
encourage schools to develop individual graduation and career plans for 
students in career and technical education programs. Including 
graduation and career planning as an allowable activity under Perkins 
is one small step in addressing the pressing issue of our low 
graduation rates. These plans will help ensure that high school 
students graduate prepared for postsecondary education and the 
workplace.
  Action is urgently needed to improve our high school graduation 
rates. The Manhattan Institute, the Harvard Civil Rights Project, and 
the Urban Institute have analyzed the data and come to the same 
conclusion--roughly 30 percent of all students who should be earning 
high school diplomas aren't. For African American and Hispanic students 
that number jumps to nearly 50 percent. Furthermore, only a fraction of 
students leaving our high schools are prepared for college. The 
Manhattan Institute found that nationally only 34 percent of students 
left high school prepared to enter a four-year college. Only 23 percent 
of African American students and only 20 percent of Hispanic students 
left high school prepared for college. We must mobilize our efforts 
across all of our education programs to turn this situation around. 
This legislation can be an important component of what I hope will be a 
national strategy to improve high schools.
  I would also like to commend the House and Senate conferees for 
reaching an agreement to protect the integrity of the Tech Prep 
Program. This program has been tremendously successful in my district 
and across the State of Texas. Tech Prep programs have provided 
countless opportunities for our students to gain access to a rigorous 
academic curriculum, cutting edge technology, and college credit while 
still enrolled in high school.
  I congratulate all of the members of the conference committee for 
their fine work, especially the committee chairmen and ranking members. 
This is legislation that we can all be proud to support.

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