Michael Bennet

I'm here today to testify in support of S. 3303, the Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010.

Thank you also, for the opportunity to testify at today's hearing on the Chimney Rock National Monument Act of 2010.

As Senator Bennet illustrated, the site certainly warrants monument status, both for giving--as a Commission, we support the legislation, both for giving Chimney Rock the recognition it deserves and for the new visitors it will bring to…

I introduced this legislation earlier this month.

When Senator Bennet was the superintendent of Denver Public Schools, he encouraged principals to go see what's working.

You've applied common sense to this question.

Under the leadership of Senator Bennet, the former Superintendent of Denver Public Schools, Denver has recently emerged as one of the more promising cities for education reform efforts.

It is an honor to introduce Rich Harrison to the committee.

I think that it is important for us to figure out a way to establish a feedback loop here in real time.

I think it is just such a tremendous illustration of what happens sometimes when we pass laws here in Washington and don't pay enough attention to what is actually going on on the ground.

We live in a country where we have had a chronic shortage of special ed teachers for decades.

The more aligned, if you imagine a system that is perfectly aligned--I don't think there is one.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

One of the, I think, unintended consequences of No Child Left Behind is that there is a horrible springtime ritual in this country, in our school districts, where we spend 2 or sometimes even 3 weeks administering what are largely…

I suspect there is huge variability in the United States of how many computers are available.

We spend roughly $8,000 a kid in Denver. I think we get better results probably than Newark.

How can America sustain itself as a world power if we are allowing huge numbers of our children to fail?

I happen to think it is a national security issue.

What is amazing about that study is what it says about the middle class kids, is that they actually gain ground during the summer when they are not in the programs.

Having said all that, we would gladly take $18,000 a kid in the Denver Public Schools.

Our Federal spending is roughly 9 percent of what we spend on K-12 education.

The idea that we have $12 trillion of debt on our balance sheet, but we haven't been able to make somehow the kind of investments that everybody here is talking about in our human capital and the infrastructure in this country, really does…

I think that needs to be exposed to the entire country.

The embodiment of an entire generation's commitment to civil rights in this country.

I wish that--I want to come back as a panelist, not as a Senator.