Kay Bailey Hutchison: “I wish to discuss for a moment this Rand report that has been quoted so many times by Senator Kennedy and others. It…”

“I wish to discuss for a moment this Rand report that has been quoted so many times by Senator Kennedy and others. It seems there are some people in the Rand organization who have put something out showing Texas in a bad light in the education system. That was not a full study. Rand actually did a full and comprehensive study. It was released July 25 of this year. I will read a few highlights of the comprehensive study. The study examined and compared the results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress Tests taken between 1990 and 1996 among 44 States. They judged the States according to State score improvements, raw achievement scores, and scores comparing students from similar demographic groups. Results from the Rand study show that math scores in Texas had improved at twice the rate of the national average. Texas was second among all States in improved math scores. Texas leads all States in a comparison of students from similar socioeconomic and family backgrounds. Texas African Americans and non-Hispanic white fourth graders ranked first on this test in math in 1996. Texas Hispanic fourth graders ranked fifth. The study confirms earlier reports that Texas is one of two States that has made the greatest overall academic gains in recent years. The report went on to say one reason why Texas has been so successful, according to the Rand study, has been the higher percentage of teachers who are satisfied with their teaching resources.…”