Chuck Schumer: “I rise today as we debate one of the most important issues to come before us in the Senate--the education of our…”

“I rise today as we debate one of the most important issues to come before us in the Senate--the education of our children--and to urge my colleagues to support the Careers to Classrooms amendment. If you have listened to the debate, there is not a single Senator who is satisfied with the quality of education in our public schools. We are unanimous in our belief that U.S. schools must do better in this global, competitive, ideas-based world. In my own State, New Yorkers were shocked to learn that more than one-third of the State's students performed below the basic level of achievement in reading. Over the last 8 years, the number of New York State schools cited for poor performance has more than doubled, and this is simply unacceptable. When you look at the studies, you see that they show that the greatest influence on how a young person performs in school is their parents and the values and oversight their parents are giving. There is something we can do about that, but not very much--at least in this bill. Second is the quality of our teachers.”