[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 42 (Monday, March 12, 2007)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         LYNDON BAINES JOHNSON DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION BUILDING

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. AL GREEN

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 6, 2007

  Mr. AL GREEN of Texas. Madam Speaker, it is a great privilege to 
honor the 36th President of the United States, a great Texan and 
American, Lyndon Baines Johnson, by passing this resolution naming the 
headquarters of the Department of Education the ``Lyndon Baines Johnson 
Federal Building.'' President Johnson's lifelong commitment to 
improving the American education system and the lives of children 
across the United States makes him a perfect choice for this honor.
  President Johnson, known as the ``Education President,'' made 
education a top priority of his Great Society programs, with an 
emphasis on helping poor children. This commitment resulted in the 
passage of the ``Elementary and Secondary Education Act'' and the 
``Higher Education Act'' in 1965.
  The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was the first 
comprehensive federal education program that provided substantial funds 
for elementary and secondary schools. This Act funded schools 
progressively, giving impoverished districts financial support to allow 
them to fund schools adequately.
  The Higher Education Act also greatly improved our educational system 
by expanding access to higher education for low-income students. The 
Act established new grants, federal loans and work-study programs that 
have given innumerable students the opportunity to take advantage of 
their potential and go to college.
  President Johnson also established the Head Start program, which has 
been critical to ensuring that low-income children have access to pre-
school programs. Years of experience have shown that early childhood 
education leads to improved academic performance and life outcomes. 
Since its inception, the Head Start program has given over 22 million 
low-income children the opportunity to take advantage of early 
childhood education.
  President Johnson's commitment to educating all American children was 
also evidenced by his appointment of the great justice Thurgood 
Marshall to the Supreme Court. Justice Marshall rose to prominence by 
winning the historic Brown v. Board case as chief counsel for the 
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. By 
outlawing segregation in our schools, this case for the first time gave 
American children hope for the future, regardless of the color of their 
skin. That President Johnson was willing to appoint as justice a man 
who had dedicated so much of his life to justice for American children 
shows the commitment of President Johnson himself to this noble goal.
  No president in the history of our great nation has shown a greater 
level of dedication to the education of our children than President 
Johnson. I believe that it is just and fitting that the Department of 
Education headquarters be named in honor of a man with such 
unparalleled commitment to the education of our nation's children. I 
commend my colleague Mr. Gene Green from Texas for introducing this 
resolution.

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