KERRY L. BENTIVOLIO: “Sadly, too much of our Federal education policy is based on where children are, instead of where we want them to be. We…”

“Sadly, too much of our Federal education policy is based on where children are, instead of where we want them to be. We need our children, but especially those we label as disadvantaged, to know that they can be anything they set their mind to. When we continue to tell children they are victims instead of empowering them to seize the talents God has blessed them with, we, as a Congress and as a society fail. Many of my colleagues believe it takes a village to raise a child. Well, entrepreneurs, small business owners and employers are part of that community. It is the business owner who hires, the entrepreneur who creates opportunity. This is exactly why they should be involved in the education policy. It is time we stop merely labeling children as disadvantaged and, instead, let's empower our States and teachers to implement the potential they see every day in the classroom by working with representatives from the private sector and the entrepreneurs. I yield back the balance of my time.”