Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. The Scholarships for Opportunity and Results Reauthorization Act is a program that makes students the priority. First authorized in 2004, this program has provided significant, life-changing benefits to students for over a decade. It is no secret that many students in the District of Columbia have not received the education they deserve. Fourth graders in the District scored below all 50 States in average math and reading scores in 2013, and eighth graders had the lowest average math and reading scores in the country. The SOAR Reauthorization Act continues a three-sector strategy to improve education in the District of Columbia. First, it provides additional resources to the public school system for its use in improving student achievement. An equal amount is provided to the innovative charter schools that are opening across the District, which provide a valuable alternative for students who seek a different experience. Finally, through the Opportunity Scholarship Program, students receive potentially life-changing scholarships to attend private schools that offer opportunities that are rarely seen by low-income students. We often speak of the States as laboratories of democracy.…”