[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 21]
[Senate]
[Page 28362]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICAN EDUCATION WEEK

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, this week I join my colleagues and the 
Nation in observing the 88th annual American Education Week.
  The United States of America has a rich history of providing a free 
public education to its children, and the education that millions of 
students receive every year opens countless doors of opportunity to 
these students. Teachers, administrators, and support staff in our 
Nation's communities plant the seeds of knowledge in our students, who 
are the future of the American economy, American innovation, and 
American society. And sometimes I do not feel like enough is said of 
these individuals who have dedicated their lives to the cause of public 
education and who have touched the lives of millions of children. So 
this week, let us reflect on the positive impact teachers and schools 
have on this country.
  While enormous strides have been made in expanding access to public 
education since our Nation's founding, the United States still has a 
long way to go before we can say that every child in our Nation has 
access to a high-quality public education. There is still a persistent 
achievement gap in many of our Nation's schools with respect to low-
income and minority students. The nationwide high school graduation 
rate hovers around 70 percent and is even lower for students of color 
and low-income students. This is unacceptable and is a matter of 
fairness and equality that must be addressed. We can do better. We must 
do better. The future of our country rests on our efforts. Federal, 
State and local governments must work together to continue to support 
our educators and help ensure that every child has access to good 
teachers and high-quality schools.
  That is why I am looking forward to working with educators as 
Congress undertakes the reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary 
Education Act, also known as No Child Left Behind. We now have the 
opportunity to rethink the proper role for the Federal Government in 
education reform and how we can best support States and school 
districts as they continue to work to educate all our Nation's children 
and close the persistent achievement gap that still exists in too many 
of our Nation's schools. We need to work together to solve problems, 
strengthen our public school system, and make certain that all our 
students receive the education they deserve.
  As Chief Justice Warren wrote when he delivered the opinion of the 
Supreme Court in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision:

       Today, education is perhaps the most important function of 
     state and local governments. Compulsory school attendance 
     laws and the great expenditures for education both 
     demonstrate our recognition of the importance of education to 
     our democratic society. It is required in the performance of 
     our most basic public responsibilities, even service in the 
     armed forces. It is the very foundation of good citizenship. 
     Today it is a principal instrument in awakening the child to 
     cultural values, in preparing him for later professional 
     training, and in helping him to adjust normally to his 
     environment. In these days, it is doubtful that any child may 
     reasonably be expected to succeed in life if he is denied the 
     opportunity of an education. Such an opportunity, where the 
     state has undertaken to provide it, is a right which must be 
     made available to all on equal terms.

  More than 50 years later, these words still ring true, and as we 
celebrate American Education Week, let us honor the outstanding work 
that our Nation's educators do every day and recommit ourselves to 
working with these educators to address the continued inequities in 
American education so that all children, regardless of their 
background, can receive a high-quality public education.

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