Political Quotes

“Soon the House of Representatives is expected to vote on H.R. 5, the Student Success Act. H.R. 5 represents a long overdue rewrite of the current No Child Left Behind with new policies that aim to ensure that every student in this country has access to a quality public education. For years our Federal education policy has been failing our Nation's students--the statistics do not lie. Today only 38 percent of seniors in high school can read at grade level, and just 26 percent are proficient in math. While I do not believe that any Member can be in total agreement with every aspect of the proposed bill, it is important to recognize the underlying goal of reducing the Federal Government's role in education while empowering States and especially local school districts with discretion over academic standards and testing. While truly well intentioned, the current law places undue pressures upon young learners and has turned hardworking, compassionate teachers into test proctors. This is not fair to those who have worked tirelessly to ensure our children are receiving a quality education, nor is it fair to our children, who are not receiving a well-rounded education but memorizing answers to specific test questions. It has become overwhelmingly clear that the Washington bureaucrats don't know how to educate our children. I can assure you that parents, administrators, and local school boards understand what is best for their children.…”