A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

FOR RELEASE
March 9, 2000

CONTACT:
Erica Lepping
(202) 401-3383

STATEMENT BY U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION RICHARD W. RILEY
Regarding Senate Action on Reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act

I am deeply disappointed by the wholesale retreat by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions in reauthorizing the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. I will certainly recommend that the President veto this unfocused and undemanding piece of legislation.

In approving the "Straight A's" demonstration the committee has forgotten the most important word that starts with "a" and that is accountability. Passage of the "Straight A's" is a signal that this Congress intends to turn its back on over fifteen years of bipartisan effort to raise achievement levels through standards based reform. This is a very shortsighted decision that will truly set back American education.

The committee seems to believe that a 'block grant" is the best way to prepare America's young people for the 21st Century. I think just the opposite is true. On all of my many visits with parents and teachers across the country, I have yet to have one of them tell me to go back to Washington and support block grants.

Parents have a very different set of priorities. They want specific and concrete help to reduce class size, to increase after-school opportunities, to modernize our schools and get technology into the classroom and into the community. This bill goes in the opposite direction and actually moves us one step closer to turning the Title I program into a voucher program. As I have said many times before, there is no accountability when it comes to block grants and vouchers.

The proposed legislation is also very weak when it comes to supporting in-depth efforts to improve teacher quality and the lack of "targeting" will do little to help teachers in our neediest schools. Overall, this proposed piece of legislation says no to smaller classes, no to stronger accountability, no to safe and modernized schools, and no to a sustained effort to support and improve the teaching profession.

At a time when so many parents are worried about keeping all of our children out of harms way, the Congress is continuing a long-established pattern of diluting efforts to improve the effectiveness of the Safe and Drug Free program. This program will never get better if Congress keeps retreating from a more targeted focus.

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