Edward M. Kennedy: “we are on the threshold of an important moment for education reform in this Nation. When we pass this bill today, with…”

“we are on the threshold of an important moment for education reform in this Nation. When we pass this bill today, with strong bipartisan support, we will be changing the way the Federal Government supports the revitalization of local schools in every school district in America. We will also have ended congressional gridlock on education reform, for not only have we passed Goals 2000, education reform legislation, the first such legislation that has successfully made its way through Congress since the national goals were set in 1989, but today we will also act on the Safe Schools Act, and the Office of Educational Research and Improvement legislation, a bill that has been waiting passage for 3 years. This bill responds to that plea. It is a major step toward meeting the urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of innovative teachers and students and school administrators in every community in America.”