[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2104]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      NATIONAL SCHOOL CHOICE WEEK

  (Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. DUNCAN of South Carolina. Madam Speaker, let me begin by 
reminding the House that the gentleman that spoke before me on this 
side of the aisle, Mr. Sam Johnson from Texas, is a real American hero, 
and let us not forget that.
  This week is recognized as National School Choice Week, a week 
dedicated to bringing awareness to a very simple idea: let's put 
parents in charge of their children's education.
  School choice means giving every child the opportunity to learn at 
the place that best meets their needs, not one they are relegated to 
because of where they may live or what district they are assigned to.
  For decades now, where our children learn has been decided by 
arbitrary government rules that could never understand the needs of 
each individual child or family. When kids fail to make the grade, the 
solution has been to throw more money and government regulation into 
the mix, but the end results cannot be clearer.
  This top-down, government-knows-best system has failed to serve the 
very people it seeks to help, and support from parents and teachers for 
initiatives like Common Core continues to crumble.
  Be it a charter school, private school, home school, or local public 
school, the fact of the matter is parents know what works best for 
their child, not Washington. We owe it to our children to help them 
reach their full potential.
  I strongly believe that every child, regardless of background or 
school district, should have the opportunity to learn at the school 
that best meets their needs. Let's work together for a brighter future 
for our children.

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