Political Quotes

“I rise in opposition to the Boehner amendment, striking the Innovative Elementary School Projects. In response to the question of the gentleman from Ohio as to what our priorities are, in my view there is nothing more vital to our national security than how we educate our children. This is part of the work that has been done in H.R. 6, particularly in title I, to ensure that our children are going to have the best education possible and that they are going to be able to succeed. This program allows schools receiving title I funds to create and implement innovative transition projects to help at risk preschool children in Head Start, Even Start, and other preschool programs come to school prepared to learn. It provides $10 million in assistance under this section of the bill that deals with Federal evaluations and demonstrations under title I. Now, we all know the importance of intervening early with our at-risk children. That is the entire purpose behind such programs as Head Start and Even Start. But we know by now that 1 year of preschool is just not enough. We have got to continue to support those children and their families as they move from one system to another. This is one important way we can encourage schools to focus their energy and their resources on helping Head Start and Even Start children to enter school ready to learn and to stay ready to learn.”