Political Quotes

“I thank the Senator. The difference here is that most of us come to this debate as former students and parents. Senator Murray comes as a former teacher--one of the few in this body. She has stood in front of classrooms of children and taught them. The rest of us here have been pupils sitting at desks or parents wondering how our kids are doing. She comes here saying lower class size gives teachers a better chance to reach children. It is not just her opinion; studies show it. The STAR project in Tennessee, which has been followed for years, showed significant gains in smaller class size. In Chicago last week, Larry Hedges at the University of Chicago and Barbara Nye of the University of Tennessee produced a study that found that smaller class size in the early grades produced better math scores not only in the third grade but all the way into high school--a full 6 years after the student was in a small elementary school class. It stands to reason. Think about how discouraging it must be for a child who has a special need or a problem to be ignored day after day after day, until they have lost all interest and fall behind. In a smaller class a teacher can reach out and pick out a child who needs special attention. This is not a mandate; it is an option that makes sense. We have decided in this bill to focus on the needs for reading--and I support that--and the needs for technology--and I support that, too.”