Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I come here today to the House floor to address an extremely important and timely topic for our Nation: investing in high-quality pre-K education. It is really imperative to the success of our children, schools, and communities. Two years ago, in this Chamber, President Obama laid out his plan to provide universal high-quality pre-K for every child in America. Why did the President propose such a bold and audacious plan for our country? It is really simple. It has been proven that children who participate in high-quality prekindergarten programs are more likely to have greater academic and life achievements down the road. The benefits of a high-quality pre-K education include increased eagerness and preparedness to learn; higher reading, writing, and mathematics scores; and increased cognitive and social abilities. Access to quality pre-K is a much better predictor of achievement than race, family income, or parents' education. Research has demonstrated that access to prekindergarten programs have substantial long-term benefits. Children that have attended prekindergarten are 20 percent more likely to graduate from high school and 22 percent more likely to own a home. Additionally, these individuals are more likely to be employed and less likely to commit violent crimes. I have to tell you, Mr. Speaker, one of the things that saddens me the most about my home State of Texas is that we are leaving a lot of really bright young people behind.…”