[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 10]
[House]
[Pages 13731-13732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             THE A-PLUS ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Walberg) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the Constitution Caucus, I 
am convinced that today, at a time when our Nation lags behind other 
countries in math and science testing and the Federal Government has a 
larger role in education than ever before, this Congress must find a 
way to give our schools greater flexibility, reduce the bureaucracy 
involved in education, and ensure these opportunities really are being 
given to our children.
  In years past Congress has attempted to solve problems in education 
by simply throwing piles of Federal money into the education system. 
The original purpose of No Child Left Behind was to return some 
education policymaking authority to the States. Unfortunately, during 
the process of crafting, passing, and enacting this legislation, No 
Child Left Behind took the form of a massive spending bill that 
increased the Federal Government's presence in classrooms.
  As a December 22, 2006 editorial in the Detroit News stated, ``What 
our Federal legislators come up with in the Nation's Capital doesn't 
always translate well into the classroom.''
  The editorial continues: ``Michigan should have the flexibility to 
decide how and when to measure student progress.''

[[Page 13732]]

  My daughter-in-law is a hardworking and talented teacher who has 
experienced firsthand the problems No Child Left Behind creates for 
teachers, parents, and students. As a classroom teacher forced to teach 
to the tests required by local, State, and No Child Left Behind, she 
actually considered quitting because of the paperwork and restrictions 
imposed upon her. She struggled to have time to give individual 
attention to each of her ``special needs'' students.
  Ironically, she obtained her teaching position due to her performance 
the year prior as a permanent substitute teacher in a classroom. 
Because she was not required to fill out all the forms and paperwork 
required by No Child Left Behind, she excelled and the school offered 
her a permanent position.
  In its origin, No Child Left Behind attempted to provide greater 
school choice and reduce Washington's involvement in education. But 
instead this expensive and largely unsuccessful legislation has 
broadened the scope of the Federal Government's role in education. 
Enshrined in our Constitution is the 10th amendment, which reads, ``The 
powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor 
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved for the States 
respectively, or to the people.'' Federal control of education is 
listed nowhere in the Constitution. And in accordance with the 10th 
amendment, education should be the responsibility of State and local 
governments.
  Because I believe each child's educational path should be determined 
by a child's parents and not by the Federal Government, I am an 
original cosponsor of the A-Plus Act. The A-Plus Act would give States, 
teachers and parents the freedom and authority to determine what 
educational path a student should take.
  As part of this legislation, States can opt out of Federal programs, 
and State leaders can decide how to use Federal education funds to 
improve student achievement.
  We all are seeking the best possible educational opportunities for 
our children, and the way to achieve this is to let States and local 
communities be accountable for academic achievement and educational 
reforms.
  With that, I yield back, Mr. Speaker.

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