congressional_record: CREC-2004-12-08-pt1-PgS12024
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| granule_id | date | congress | session | volume | issue | title | chamber | granule_class | sub_granule_class | page_start | page_end | speakers | bills | citation | full_text |
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| CREC-2004-12-08-pt1-PgS12024 | 2004-12-08 | 108 | 2 | EDUCATION | SENATE | SENATE | ALLOTHER | S12024 | S12025 | [{"name": "William H. Frist", "role": "speaking"}] | 150 Cong. Rec. S12024 | Congressional Record, Volume 150 Issue 139 (Wednesday, December 8, 2004) [Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 139 (Wednesday, December 8, 2004)] [Senate] [Pages S12024-S12025] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] EDUCATION Mr. FRIST. Mr. President, I will take this opportunity, while we are waiting for paperwork, to follow up on something I just mentioned; and it is on the subject of education. It has to do with an announcement that most of us saw in the newspaper a couple days ago. The report came out last week. It is this: The United States, when you compare us to 28 other industrialized countries, and you look at math literacy for 15- year-olds, you would guess that we might be at the top. No. You would guess we might be No. 5. No. You would say: Well, the United States of America, we have to be No. 10. No. You would say, we have to be 15th out of those 29 when you compare us to other countries. The answer is no. Well, then you may say: Out of 29 countries surely we are 20th, being the most powerful Nation in the world and the most affluent Nation in the world. And the answer is no. Out of 29 industrialized countries, for 15-year-olds--my youngest son is 17 years old, so he is 2 years older--we are 24th. I did not believe it when I first saw it, and I called my statistician friends, and they said: Yes, it is true. In fact, everybody agrees it is true. In its most recent round of testing, the Program for International Student Assessment finds that the United States falls behind--again, we are 24th out of 29--such countries as Finland, Korea, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Hungary, Spain, and, yes, France. Even more depressing than that, these dismal results are consistent with all the international comparisons. It is not just this one study, but it is consistent with all other international studies. American students lag far behind their industrialized counterparts in math, reading, and in science across the board. Contrary to the clamor of the education lobby, it is not money. We are spending the money. We are spending more money than any other country on education. In fact, we spend 30 to 80 percent more per pupil than any other industrialized nation. Since 1960, the U.S. has spent nearly a trillion dollars on K-12 public education. The result, according to the report, current U.S. math scores fall below Latvia. Then we look to the future. We know, as we look to the future, it is going to be based on the information foundation of our economy today. And if we are going to be competitive, it is clear we are going to have to start, because if it is true for the eighth grade, it is true for the 15-year-olds, it is true for the twelfth grade. In all of these we are failing. If we look to the future, when we talk about outsourcing jobs, when we talk about global competitiveness and our efficiency, none of that matters very much unless we have appropriate training and education for our young people today who are the workforce of tomorrow. It is an economic reality, and we are failing. Although we just got through the campaign season, we are looking ahead. Fortunately, President Bush said 4 years ago: My No. 1 priority is going to be education. Sure enough, working in a bipartisan way in this body, we passed a huge reform, No Child Left Behind. This Republican-led Congress, the President of the United States were absolutely committed to saying: The status quo is unsatisfactory. We believed that every single child has that right to learn. And it is our obligation, our responsibility--a lot of people say: No, it is not a Federal responsibility, it is everybody's responsibility--to support the reforms that help meet that goal of giving every child that opportunity to and the right to learn. Three years ago we passed No Child Left Behind. It was landmark legislation. For the first time it holds America's public schools accountable for results. Students in grades 3 to 8 are now tested every year on basic reading and math skills. We have to be able to measure progress over time. Otherwise we will not know whether what we are doing in terms of getting better teachers, giving teachers better supplies and a better opportunity to teach, we are not going to know whether anything works unless we can measure--and the measurement is under way--and to get parents involved. Now we are able, by holding both the schools and parents accountable. They are going to get more involved and they are more involved today. We have given them specific tools to be able to measure their own child's progress and their own child's school and, if necessary, to use public funds to secure additional tutoring, public funds that weren't there before, but to use those public funds if you need that additional tutoring. We introduced that whole concept that if the school is failing, thus your child is going to fail; if the whole school is failing, to give that opportunity to maybe send your child, if that school is failing, to a better school. Maybe it is a school down the road. That is just 3 years ago. In 3 short years, these straightforward accountability measures are getting results. According to a March study by the Council of Great Schools, the achievement gap in both math and reading between African Americans and Whites and Hispanics and Whites is getting narrower in both categories. The National Assessment of Education Progress reports that since 2000, math scores have increased nine points among fourth graders and five points among eighth graders. Math scores for low-income fourth graders have improved even more dramatically, showing a 14-point gain. Simply by raising those education standards, public schools are striving to reach them and are making progress. The nonpartisan, Denver-based Education Commission of the States finds that not since the 1970s have States been so responsive to Federal education reform. One might say better [[Page S12025]] late than never, but that would fail to give proper credit where it is due. The President deserves great praise for his determination to put America's public schools back on track. After three decades of stalled progress, we are turning finally to fact-based scientific solutions so that all of America's children can learn and will learn. There is a lot more to do. And as with our intelligence reform bill today, this is not the end. This is a start. We are going to continue to have appropriate reforms, strengthening programs that we act on here in this body. In the next Congress, when it comes to education, we will do more to strengthen our schools and our school systems so every child has that opportunity to learn. As the President has set out, since we have already focused on K-12, we will begin to look at the college level and further at that secondary school level. We are committed to expanding opportunities for every American to acquire the education and skills they need to compete and succeed in an ever expanding and dynamic economy. Our Founding Fathers, who are cited so frequently and appropriately on this floor, believed deeply that a successful democracy and a viable democracy requires an educated and engaged citizenry. I am confident that by adhering to high standards of achievement and accountability, we will produce an education system worthy of their great hopes. ____________________ |