Congressman Etheridge on Education

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It is often said that education is the wellspring for progress; ignorance is the fountainhead of decline. As the first member of my family to graduate from college and as the former two-term Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools, I know firsthand that education holds the key to our nation's future. The simple fact is that in a global economy, lifelong learning is the pathway to the American Dream.

Our state's students have achieved tremendous success in recent years in improved academic performance. We take pride in our progress, but we must not relent in our efforts to reform, improve and strengthen public schools in North Carolina and across America. We can and must make every school in our country safe, disciplined and drug-free where highly qualified teachers provide effective instruction in the basics. And we can and must dedicate ourselves to the ideal that each and every child in America - regardless of race, gender, religion, ethnic background or family income - deserves the opportunity to obtain a quality education in order for live up to his or her God-given abilities.

H.R. 1, the No Child Left Behind Act: As the former Superintendent of North Carolina's public schools. I know firsthand what it takes to achieve real results in academic improvement. It takes setting high standards and ensuring accountability. But most importantly, it takes a commitment to ensure that all of our children have quality educational opportunities to achieve the goal of "no child left behind." Although H.R. 1 falls short of fulfilling our commitment to fund the federal mandate on special education, I am pleased that it takes significant steps toward substantial improvement in education. The bill targets federal funds toward the neediest students to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged children and their peers and between minority and non-minority students. It also strengthens teacher training so that our school teachers are teaching in their subject areas. Further, it provides new resources for mentoring, training, salary enhancement and other improvements that give teachers the resources they need to do their very important jobs. However, this legislation will only work if we continue tp back its requirements with the resources to get the job done every year. Tough reform without resources simply amounts to cruelty to our children. My biggest concern is that in the years to come, especially when the full effects of this year's massive tax bill are felt, Congress will neglecdt to provide the necessary resources to fulfill the promises of H.R. 1. I will fight every step of the way to make sure that does not happen.

Click here to read my statement on H.R. 1.

Character Counts in the 21st Century: Promoting character education is a key component in reducing school violence and discipline problems. As Superintendent, I helped champion North Carolina's emphasis on teaching our children values along with the three R's. I want to build on North Carolina's success by passing federal legislation to strengthen character education initiatives. There are core values such as respect for self and others, fairness, compassion, and citizenship that are universal. These values are critical to a student's character development and should be taught not only in our homes but also in our schools. I introduced a national legislative initiative that would provide grants for state and local school systems to initiate their own character education initiatives.

Building Schools in Growing Communities: Our schools are bursting at the seams. Communities throughout North Carolina are growing at record-setting rate, and schools are struggling to keep pace. Four out of nine counties in my district have grown by over 20 percent in the last ten years, and all but one have grown by over ten percent.

I have introduced the Etheridge School Construction Act to create $7.2 billion in school construction bonds targeted to those areas of the country experiencing the fastest rate of growth. North Carolina would receive $650 million, which we desperately need to prepare our state for the 27.1 percent rate of growth in student enrollment we'll see over the next ten years, the second highest in the nation.

No North Carolina teacher should be required to struggle in an unsafe, undisciplined environment, and no parents should be forced to witness their children condemned to school in a trailer. It is time for Congress to get to work to help our communities build the schools we need to educate the next generation of our country's leaders.

Bipartisan Working Group on Youth Violence: I am proud to have been appointed by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader to be North Carolina's only member on the Congressional Bipartisan Working Group on Youth Violence. This group represents the vital need for Congress to put politics aside and make sure our children are safe in their schools every day of the year. I have shared North Carolina's successes, from school resource officers to character education, with my colleagues in this group, and we agreed on several common-sense solutions to this crucial issue that we announced when we released the working group's comprehensive report and recommendations. I have met with students, school administrators, teachers, counselors, and parents to discuss the report and receive feedback on what actions Congress should take to curb youth violence in America. I also sponsored a "Congressional Summit on Youth Violence" on April 19, 2000 in Raleigh that brought together parents, students, school administrators, counselors and the news media to discuss issues related to youth violence. The Summit resulted in a range of strong recommendations for combating youth violence.

"Give A Teacher A Break": "Give a Teacher a Break" provides a respite for our hardworking teachers and lets students learn directly from their U.S. Representative about how their government works. More importantly, it puts Congress in the classroom. If we are to enable each child in America to live up to his or her God-given abilities, then Congress must understand how education really works. To do that, we must be in the classroom to learn what our teachers are confronting each and every day, and to look into the faces of the leaders of tomorrow for a reminder of what is at stake. I have taught classes in counties across my district and have enlisted the support of almost two dozen Members of Congress to teach classes in their districts.