[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3923]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 EDUCATION FLEXIBILITY PARTNERSHIP ACT

  (Mrs. CLAYTON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CLAYTON. Mr. Speaker, this week we will take up H.R. 800, the 
Education Flexibility Partnership Act. I believe this bill can be 
improved by amending it to provide for the hiring of 1,000 new 
teachers.
  The need for such an amendment is apparent. Schools across this 
Nation are struggling because student enrollment has drastically 
increased. Evidence shows that there is a direct correlation between 
class size and learning ability. Students in smaller classes, 
especially in the early grades, make greater educational gains, and 
maintain those gains over time.
  Smaller classes are most advantageous for poor students, minority 
students, and those living in rural communities. However, all children 
will benefit from smaller classes.
  We need more teachers. It is so critical in maintaining and improving 
our education system, and more importantly, it indeed is the best 
flexibility we can provide to our education system.

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