[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 153 (2007), Part 5]
[House]
[Page 6716]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     IMPROVING NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. PITTS. Madam Speaker, common sense says the closer you are to the 
problem, the better you are able to address it. Unfortunately, No Child 
Left Behind seems to say the opposite. It says that if you are a 
bureaucrat in Washington, you understand the needs of public education 
across America better than anyone else does. Educators, however, know 
that that is not the case.
  After meeting with dozens of teachers, principals and administrators 
in my district, I am convinced that it is time to give our States a 
choice. That is why I am supporting the A-PLUS Act introduced last 
week. The bill would allow States to opt out of the burdensome 
regulations attached to No Child Left Behind; it would let local 
leaders decide how best to spend their Federal education dollars; and 
it would allow the challenges we face in public education to be 
addressed by those who understand them best, local educators. I urge 
support for the A-PLUS Act

                          ____________________