IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND REFORMING THE FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION

HEARING

Serial No. 106-72

OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PETE HOEKSTRA, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE *

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE VERNON EHLERS, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THIRD DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN *

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE NICK SMITH, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SEVENTH DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN *

STATEMENT OF PETER McPHERSON, PRESIDENT, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MI *

STATEMENT OF PETER T. MITCHELL, Ed.D., PRESIDENT, ALBION COLLEGE, ALBION, MI *

STATEMENT OF MARK A. MURRAY, TREASURER, STATE OF MICHIGAN, LANSING, MI *

STATEMENT OF JOHN DeLINE, SUPERINTENDENT, TEKONSHA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, TEKONSHA, MI *

STATEMENT OF THOMAS J. STOBIE, PRINCIPAL, JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL, JACKSON, MI, AND PRESIDENT OF THE MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS *

STATEMENT OF MICHAEL GAGNON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL FOR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS AND TRAINING EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, BATTLE CREEK, MI *

STATEMENT OF JULIE JOHNSON, EMI SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER, UNION CITY SCHOOLS, SHERWOOD, MI *

STATEMENT OF MELINDA M. SLOMA, SENIOR STUDENT, BATTLE CREEK AREA MATH AND SCIENCE CENTER, BATTLE CREEK, MI *

STATEMENT OF TRAVIS EBEL, JUNIOR STUDENT, LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL, BATTLE CREEK, MI *

APPENDIX A - WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PETE HOEKSTRA, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE *

FIELD HEARING ON IMPROVING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT AND

REFORMING THE FEDERAL ROLE IN EDUCATION

____________________

Wednesday, September 8, 1999

U. S. House of Representatives

Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations

Committee on Education and the Workforce

Washington, D.C.

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 10:30 a.m., in the Battle Creek Mathematics and Science Center, 756 Upton Avenue, Battle Creek, Michigan, Pete Hoekstra, Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.

Present: Representatives Pete Hoekstra, Vernon Ehlers and Nick Smith of Michigan.

Staff Present: Christine Wolf, Professional Staff Member and Cheryl Johnson, Legislative Associate/Education, Minority Staff.

Chairman Hoekstra. The Subcommittee will come to order. Is that working? Can you hear me in the back? Okay, good, thank you.

Good morning. My name is Pete Hoekstra and I represent your neighboring congressional district. I describe it as God's country. I represent the Lake Michigan shoreline, about 120 miles starting just south of Saugatuk and going all the way up through Holland, Grand Haven, Muskegon, Manesty, and going a little bit inland and covering Cadillac in Lake County and Newago County. I also get to spend some of my time in Washington. I serve on the Education and Workforce Committee, where I Chair the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations.

For the last couple of years, we've had the opportunity to travel around the country and ask the question, "what's working and what's not working in education", primarily at the K through 12 level.

Our Subcommittee has had the opportunity to visit 19 states. We've been in places like the Bronx in New York City, Chicago, South Central LA, Fort Collins, Colorado, Little Rock, Cleveland, and Milwaukee. We've been to a lot of different places hearing from local people about what works, what doesn't, and what they see as the appropriate and most effective role for federal involvement in education.

Lately, as you listen to the debate in Washington, you've heard a lot about accountability. We're taking a look at the six to ten percent of federal dollars that flow to the local level. We're asking the question, how do we enable local school districts to do what they would like to do, and at the same time hold them accountable for the receipt of tax dollars.

One of the last Hearings that we had was in Chicago this spring, and we had former Secretary of Education, Bill Bennett come in and testify along with Jerry Chico, who is the head of the Chicago Public Schools. It was in the 1980s that Secretary Bennett created quite a stir when he went through Chicago and identified the Chicago Public School System as perhaps the worst school system in the country. This was his first opportunity to come back to Chicago and testify, and to take a look at what has happened in Chicago over the last number of years.

One of the interesting things that has happened in Chicago is that Chicago public schools have been, what they've described as demandated by the state of Illinois. In exchange for total flexibility from state mandates the Chicago public schools were willing to take accountability for the results of their children's education.

So, they basically have been demandated. They have very few strings attached to the state dollars flowing into the school district, but they are now held accountable for the educational results of their children. So it was get rid of the rules, the regulations, the red tape and the mandates. In exchange for that all we want you to do is to report to us on an annual basis the kind of results that you are getting with the kids in your school system.

And that's the message the Chicago school system sent to Washington. Demandate us, and in exchange for getting rid of the rules and regulations we'll take ownership of the accountability for student achievement. So, it's been a very interesting process.

We are glad to be here in Battle Creek. We just went through a tour of this facility and, again, one of the things that I've seen as I've gone around the country, there are wonderful people doing great things at the local level for education. What we need to do is to figure out how we can replicate that around the country. This appears to be a very interesting school, and we'll hear more about that today.

Today I'm joined by two of my colleagues, both representing parts of west Michigan; Nick Smith and Vern Ehlers. Vern sits with me on the Education and Workforce Committee. Vern is very interested and very active in developing a national science policy, so that we can improve education in the science and math areas around the country. It's really one of the key learning areas that we have.

And, Nick is our host for the day. Nick wanted Vern and I to see a success story in his District. He also wanted us to learn more about what is going on in education in this community. Nick, thank you very much for inviting us. Vern, do you have an opening statement?

WRITTEN OPENING STATEMENT OF CHAIRMAN PETE HOEKSTRA, SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND INVESTIGATIONS, COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION AND THE WORKFORCE - SEE APPENDIX A

Mr. Ehlers. Yes.

Chairman Hoekstra. Okay.

Mr. Ehlers. Nick may go first if he likes.

Mr. Smith. No, go ahead.

Chairman Hoekstra. I was going to say, we'll go to Vern, and then Nick may have some comments, and Nick will introduce our guests and our witnesses from West Michigan and from the State of Michigan.

Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'll be fairly brief, because we have some good witnesses we want to hear from.

My name is Vernon Ehlers. I'm from Grand Rapids and represent Kent County, Ionia County, and the northern part of Berrien County. It's really God's country. It's where the people work very hard, and do a great job, and then when they want to relax they go over to Pete's district.

It's a real pleasure to be here this morning, and that's not just simply a political statement. It really warms my heart to tour a facility like this and see the fantastic job that's being done in math/science education. I happen to be a physicist by training, and taught physics for 22 years at the college and university level before getting involved politically. My main charge, as the Chairman has mentioned, is to try to improve math/science education in the United States. As you know, it is in a very sorry state. The third international Mathematics and Science Study ranked the United States near the bottom, in overall science and math performance.

In physics which is my area, we were dead last of all the nations, being beat out by countries such as Slovenia, Lithuania, et cetera. Clearly, that has to change. And, I think we have to change it because we need to continue our strong scientific leadership. Over one half of all the economic development in the country today comes from scientific and technological discoveries and work. If we want to continue to have the booming economy that we have now we have to continue our research effort.

That means we have to produce good scientists and engineers. But much more than that, is making people ready for the modern work place which is going to require a much greater knowledge of math and science in the future. Also being simply more knowledgeable voters and consumers requires a better knowledge of science and technology today. So, I'm hoping we can improve math/science education throughout the nation.

We do a great job here, as those of you who are familiar with Battle Creek Center are aware. Other areas across the country are doing an excellent job. As the Chairman said, how can we replicate that? I have a lot of ideas of how we can do that, and will try to do that.

Hanging over all this is the key question, what is the federal role? Most of the money for schools comes from local and state government. The federal contribution is only seven percent, so what can the federal government do that the local and state units cannot do?

We can, for example, conduct research or support research in teaching and learning methods, particularly, in math and science, so that we develop better methods of instruction in those areas. That's a legitimate federal function. We can also assist in professional development of teachers, which we have done for years through the Eisenhower Program, an excellent program and the mainstay of professional development. I hope we can not only continue that, but I hope we can improve it. That is one of my goals.

The federal government can help in developing a national consensus on content and sequence of math and science courses. Because we have such a transient nation today, you have students transferring from school to school regularly. As you all know math and science has to be taught sequentially.

If schools use different sequences, we are doing a disservice to transferring students because they are likely to get one subject twice and another one not at all. So if we can achieve some type of national consensus under the auspices of the leadership of the National Science Foundation or something of that sort, we will serve our students much better.

I think we can help with developing better curricula nationwide. In particular one thing we have to watch out for is that some high school textbooks are being dominated by the demands of the three major states who buy textbooks on a statewide basis, namely California, Texas and Florida. If you are a textbook publisher, and you are looking at the market out there and recognize if you can please those three states you've got a huge built-in market, the rest of the country is not given proper service. So, we're going to see what we can do to develop curricula which will be accepted by everyone as being the best, and then the textbook publishers will work with us on that.

These are some of the ideas we are kicking around as appropriate for the federal role, and a great deal of work remains. It's an immense problem, because you have to change not only some of the infrastructure, but also change public attitudes about what is important in education, what should be taught, and how it should be taught. We hope to accomplish that.

We have a very good Education Committee this year. It's done some really groundbreaking work that the Chairman has alluded to. We are taking a different approach by saying instead of one third of the money staying in Washington in the Department of Education to run the administrative arm, we're going to try and reduce the administrative effort and get 95 percent of the federal dollars into the local schools. That is our goal. We continue to work at that; reduce the requirements, but establish performance goals. If you meet those performance goals you get the money without a lot of grant writing and strings attached and so forth.

So, this is just one of many things we are doing in addition to the math/science work. Thank you very much.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE VERNON EHLERS, U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, THIRD DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN - SEE APPENDIX B

Chairman Hoekstra. Our host for today is our colleague, Congressman Smith. He's been very active in the education area, and has been very active in helping arrange this Hearing today.

Nick, thank you. Thanks for your hospitality, thanks for inviting us here, and thanks for the work that you've done in putting this Hearing together.

Mr. Smith. Well Pete, Mr. Chairman, the thanks is mine. And thank you very much, Vern. Also I wanted our Education Committee to have a chance to, not only see this facility and some of the things that are happening in this area of Michigan, but I wanted to make sure that Michigan's voice is heard when we make these final decisions.

Some of my superintendents are telling me that with 5 percent to 7 percent of their budgets paid for out of the federal taxpayer roll, and with only 5 percent to 7 percent of the funding coming from the federal government, 50 percent or more of the paperwork and regulations come from the federal government. Schools, K-12, are now hiring and paying significant salaries to grant writers so that they put the words in the right place that increases their chance of getting federal grants. So, as we make Washington decisions to try to get more federal dollars into the classroom, I think it's very important that Michigan has its chance to give their voice.

Let me conclude, before I introduce the panel, by saying that it would seem to me that we are facing a very challenging future in terms of keeping a strong economy in the United States relative to the rest of the world. Other countries are very aggressive in their efforts to copy our assembly lines and our processes. As Chairman of the Science Research Committee, it's evident now that those countries are also aggressively copying our research, trying to put it into play even before we do in this country.

There are two ways, it seems to me, that we can improve and assure continued economic strength, and that's capital investment. I divide capital into two areas. One is human capital; that means doing a better job with education. The other is physical capital;

research done by qualified students going into the sciences, mathematics, and chemistry that can develop the kinds of tools that are going to make our workers more productive, more efficient and ultimately more competitive, by increasing wages and assuring a strong economy in this country.

I'm delighted that the witnesses have been willing to come here today. I'll go across starting with President McPherson. Peter McPherson is President of Michigan State University. Prior to being named President, he was Executive Vice President of the Bank of America and Discipline Management Group. Politically Mr. McPherson has held a variety of positions in the public sector, including Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Treasury from 1997 to 1998, Administrator of the Agency for International Development, General Counsel for the Reagan/Bush transition, and performed other distinguished services for the country and the state of Michigan.

Dr. Peter Mitchell is President of Albion College, which is a private college affiliated with the United Methodist Church. Albion was founded in 1835 and it has a four-year liberal arts program, with a total student enrollment of 1,600. President Mitchell has started transforming Albion into being part of the community by working with the community and working with students to put Albion on the national map.

Mark Murray indicated that he would be here shortly after 11:00, but I'm going to go ahead and introduce Mark. Mark is the Treasurer of the State of Michigan. He will talk about Michigan's role of ultimate control over education and what's happening in Michigan as we make changes in the state.

Mr. John DeLine is Superintendent of the Tekonsha Community Schools. Mr. DeLine has been the Superintendent of the Tekonsha Community Schools since 1996. Previously, he was an administrator for the Lenauay Christian School in Adrian, Michigan, and Principal of the Briton Macon areas schools. He has done an exceptional job and we look forward to your testimony, Mr. DeLine.

Mr. Tom Stobie, Principal of Jackson High School in Jackson, has been Principal since 1992, and has worked at the Jackson High School as a teacher, coach, and Assistant Principal. Also Mr. Stobie is currently serving as President of the Michigan Association of Secondary Principals. Mr. Stobie, we are looking forward to your ideas on administrative responsibility and its relation to student performance and the role of the federal government.

Julie Johnson is a Special Education Teacher with Union City Schools, and has been a Special Education Teacher in the Union community since 1993. Ms. Johnson teaches kindergarten through fourth grade.

Mike Gagnon is the Executive Director of the Council for Employment Needs and Training Employment Services, here in Battle Creek, Michigan. It seems to me,

Mr. Chairman, that we need to be very careful as we look for assurances that we are doing the kind of educating that can train people to serve and don't gear it so totally towards those individuals that are going on to pursue college or university training.

And finally, I'm delighted to introduce two great students that come from this math and science center, that have exhibited tremendous ability, as well as leadership. Travis Ebel and Melinda Sloma, we look forward very much to your testimony.

So, Mr. Chairman, a great panel and thank you again for holding this Hearing of the U.S. House of Representative's Committee on Education and the Workforce here in our 7th Congressional District.

Chairman Hoekstra. Thanks, Nick; just a little bit of background.

This is a Hearing that's on the record, so this becomes part of the official deliberations of the House of Representatives. We want to extend our appreciation to Ms. Connie Duncan, who is the Director of the Battle Creek Math and Science Center, for hosting us today and for the tour.

For those who have testified before they understand, our little green golf balls up here, or tennis balls. If you wonder what those are for the green light comes on when somebody starts talking. You notice we didn't use it for ourselves, but the green light comes on when you've got plenty of time. The yellow light comes on when you've got about a minute and a half left. For our panel today you are lucky; the red one is burned out. The red one typically means you are out of time.

Now, for those who have been at any of the Hearings that I chair in Washington, notice that I have a weak gavel, meaning that I typically let witnesses go a little bit beyond their time to finish their statement. This is because they've either traveled to Washington or, in this case, they've traveled to Battle Creek because they've got something they want to say, and they want us to hear it. We've invited them and we'd like to hear what they have to say, so these are advisory signals to make sure that we are not still sitting here at 3:00 this afternoon.

With that, we'll begin. Nick, I don't know if you did this on purpose, but I kind of like this panel. I mean, there's nine people on the panel.

Mr. Smith. Going from our left to right, we go from the most important to President McPherson.

Chairman Hoekstra. I was just surprised. I've never been in an area where Peter has been such a prevalent name. So, we will start with Peter McPherson.

Mr. McPherson. Mr. Chairman, it's good to be here, and certainly excellent for this community to have an opportunity to testify before this group.

I would make a couple of introductory observations. It seems to me over the last few years there's begun to be a consensus, and certainly one I believe strongly in, that ultimately the test for school systems is how well the students have learned. The best way we have to measure that is test scores.

Ultimately, how much you put into it, how innovative you are and the rest of that is great, but what counts is the results. We clearly have some problems. Congressman Ehlers mentioned a moment ago the TIMSS Study, actually headed as you know by Bill Schmidt, a Professor at Michigan State, that did the international study looking at how we are doing as a country in science education. We've got a number of issues.

Some communities, certainly including the schools, have aggressively tackled issues and have moved on. I believe that is excellent, whether it be in Chicago, Detroit, Lansing, this school system, whatever. The test ultimately has to be how well do kids learn as measured?

Next, I think that we have come to see that there are lots of theories and lots of ideas on how to do that, and I for one believe that we ought to give school systems a fair amount of flexibility in trying to figure out how to do that. People can get excited about their own local ideas or thoughts and views, but we don't know a lot precisely about how to get this job done. After all, if we're going to be really fair and aggressive with test results and have high expectations, then it's reasonable, it seems to me, to give an enormous amount of flexibility.

The last up front point I would make is very clear. The school systems in this country are filled with people who, by and large, feel deeply about their jobs, are committed, dedicated people, and this is not a personnel issue. It isn't a business of if only people would work harder, or be better people or something. Sure there are some problems, but fundamentally I think if we start off with high expectations and provide reasonable assistance to reach those expectations, we hold people to them, and give them a fair amount of flexibility.

By the way, my experience base, of course, is over six plus years at Michigan State, around the state talking to groups of our superintendents, and our College of Education being very engaged in these issues. More directly a couple of years ago the Mayor of Lansing, Mayor Hollister, asked me to chair a blue ribbon committee, to look at the city of Lansing school system. It's an 18,000-pupil system with lots of questions, some urban issues and on and on, and it was an excellent experience. I agreed to chair it subject to getting the head of the union to be a member as well as a GM person, the Lansing Community College and the head of the PTA. We had an excellent group of people, and for about five months we struggled over the issues.

Basically, we came down to saying, look, there are a few key groups here, the students, the parents, the administrators, teachers, et cetera, each needs to have their expectations raised with regard to what we are doing, and we also need to help them. Out of that experience came some recommendations, such as you can't go to the fourth grade if you can't read. You better have a strong summer school program to support that, and a number of other expectations.

I see my orange light is on. I appreciate that there's no red light, but I will finish quickly in any case, Mr. Chairman.

My College of Education is one that we're very proud of. Regularly, it ranks number one in elementary education in the country, and number one in secondary education in the country. We produce a very strong group of students. We have approached it by insisting that every elementary or secondary education student, have a substantive, non-education minor, as well as the education degree. We have, in effect, tried to raise the expectations of teacher education. We have a fifth year where they are in schools, but still have courses back at Michigan State. Those teachers are in enormous demand.

I think one of the areas that Congressman Ehlers made reference to is that the quality of teachers that we're producing around the country is of enormous long term importance as to whether we get this problem truly solved. I feel in the last few years that the country has been engaged in K-12 and they certainly weren't five or six years ago.

I would conclude by saying that ultimately what we must expect of our school system is that they deliver in terms of what students have learned. We need to give them flexibility to do that, and we need to provide incentives, rewards, and encouragement to all parties involved, so that they can reach the high expectations we should have for them.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF PETER McPHERSON, PRESIDENT, MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY, EAST LANSING, MI - SEE APPENDIX C

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you.

Can we have a copy of the report that you did for the Lansing schools?

Mr. McPherson. Yes, in fact, we have it here.

Chairman Hoekstra. Great. Super.

Mr. McPherson. We brought some copies because, in fact, I think it shouldn't be regarded as my report. The unions were right there participating, and we agreed that you could reorganize schools under certain circumstances with a series of fairly tough demanding expectations, but everybody had to deliver. We also agreed they needed some support. And, it is very clear to me that we have got excellent dedicated teachers in Lansing, but we needed some other things, too.

Chairman Hoekstra. Good, thank you.

Vern and I are on the Education Committee, and our other colleague from Michigan, Fred Upton, is also on the Education Committee. We enjoy the relationship that we have with President McPherson, and are constantly looking forward to the updates as to the groundbreaking kind of work that you are doing at Michigan State.

So, thank you. Thanks for your friendship.

Mr. McPherson. I'm told that the staff has copies of this report, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman Hoekstra. Okay, good, thank you. Then we'll submit it for the record.

SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD, A VISION AND PLAN FOR OUR STUDENTS, A REPORT OF THE BLUE RIBBON PANEL ON THE LANSING SCHOOL DISTRICT, OFFICE OF MAYOR DAVID HOLLISTER, JUNE 11, 1997 - SEE APPENDIX D

Chairman Hoekstra. Doctor Mitchell.

Mr. Mitchell. Mr. Chairman and Congressmen, I appreciate the opportunity to address the issue of ``improving student achievement,'' particularly as it impacts the federal role in higher education.

As I begin my 17th year as a college president, I have never been more optimistic about the role higher education will play in ensuring America's competitive position. Indeed, our system of higher education is world class, the envy of all other nations. Let me focus my brief remarks on three pivotal issues that impact student achievement in higher education.

First, assess the current status of federal support for student achievement in terms of financial aid programs and regulations.

Second, evaluate the proposed federal role in the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

And, third, articulate an appropriate, effective, and I hope proactive role for the federal government in higher education as we move into a new century.

The current status of federal support for student achievement in terms of financial aid programs and regulations is at best a mixed blessing. While grateful for the support that enables many students to have a choice in the type of higher education institution they attend, we have seen a shift more and more to loans and institutional aid. Pell Grants, Supplemental Education Opportunity Grants, and the Leveraging Educational Assistant Partnerships, formerly SSIG, were established to be the foundation and mainstay for financial assistance to bright and needy students. However, today that foundation represents only 20 percent of all federal aid and has to support an imbalance in terms of 80 percent of federal aid in the form of loans.

Higher education's commitment to relevance and excellence compels colleges like Albion and Michigan State to want to ensure appropriate measures of accountability. However, in many of the regulations of the misdirected and fortunately ill-fated State Post-secondary Review Entities created an unnecessarily burdensome, even onerous demands on institutions of integrity. So, I applaud you for your common sense in dismantling SPRE and urge you to be vigilant in ensuring reasonable and relevant expectations for program review, evaluation, and assessment.

Secondly, students, faculty and administrators at colleges and universities across this country are very pleased with the leadership of the Congress in reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Never before have all major organizations representing colleges, universities, and students joined together to advocate for a common agenda for student financial aid. We are encouraged by surveys that show overwhelming public support for financial aid to ensure that low-and middle-income families can afford the college or university that best meets their children's needs.

The polls affirmed that increasing federal financial aid for students at college was deemed very important or somewhat important to 87 percent of the respondents, almost identical to the priority given to health care and Social Security. This ``Student Aid Alliance'' has crystallized in its support of initiatives that the House and Senate have championed with vision and verve, and we thank you for that.

I join with colleagues in every state in urging Congress to ensure that it is maintained; to increase the maximum Pell Grant by $400, to increase SEOG by $65 million, to fund the Perkins Loans with an additional $35 million, to add the $64 million necessary for the Federal Work-Study and to revitalize the Leveraging Educational Assistance Partnerships by increasing its appropriation by $50 million.

Let me interject at this point a profound sense of gratitude to you, Congressman Ehlers, for your influential role in saving the former SSIG program from a shortsighted, I believe, effort by the Administration to eliminate the one federal financial aid program built on the premise of federal dollars leveraging state dollars for the benefit of individual students. I thank you for that.

Gentlemen, you have a rare and marvelous opportunity to enable our country to enter the 21st Century with the finest system of higher education the world has ever known. In an era where knowledge is the only power, your support of equal access and open choice in higher education for all will be THE competitive advantage in a global marketplace of commerce and of ideas. On behalf of the students who hunger for a quality education and on behalf of a nation desirous of serious leadership and sustained leadership, I ask that you champion these financial aid priorities in the Higher Education Act reauthorization.

And third, the role of the federal government in shaping, assessing and regulating student achievement is a topic of grave importance to our colleges and to our nation. As the President of an independent college, I advocate for a federal role that encourages market-driven competition, that offers affordability and choice in financial aid, that puts assistance in the hands of the students and trusts their capacity to demand the highest of quality. Unfettered by bureaucratic over-regulation, the efficient and unencumbered strategy of providing aid directly to students will continue to ensure a truly world class system of higher education.

So, what role should the federal government play in enhancing and ensuring student achievement? The Congress should design and implement programs that channel resources to students who are the end users of the system of higher education. Allow the market, not a bureaucracy, to set the standards. Establish acceptable levels of performance, but empower institutions to design and implement programs, policies and priorities that will improve student learning and academic achievement. Be flexible in allowing institutions of integrity to define excellence appropriate to their mission, but be vigilant in reference to maintaining reasonable and realistic assessment measures.

In return, colleges and universities will pledge their commitments to offering quality academic programs, to instilling a sense of civic duty and service, and to preparing a work force with the skills, ethical values, and entrepreneurial spirit that will maintain our nation's competitive advantage in a global community.

Thank you for your vision of academic excellence and your commitment to a robust and dynamic system of higher education built on the premise that student financial assistance must be focused on the individual student choosing the right institution for the right reasons. In the final analysis, this strategy alone will ensure market-driven accountability, while simultaneously improving student achievement.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF PETER T. MITCHELL, Ed.D., PRESIDENT, ALBION COLLEGE, ALBION, MI - SEE APPENDIX E

Chairman Hoekstra. Great, thank you.

Mr. Murray, you received a glowing introduction prior to your arrival here from Congressman Smith. You should have been here to listen to it, but welcome.

Mr. Murray. I'd be happy to hear it again.

Chairman Hoekstra. The rest of us would, but it was good. All right.

Mr. Murray. Thank you, Congressman Hoekstra.

Chairman Hoekstra. We are glad you are here. Thank you.

Mr. Murray. Congressman Hoekstra, Congressman Smith, Congressman Ehlers, I'm very happy to be here. I want to take a few minutes to describe a new financial aid program we have in the State of Michigan, the Michigan Merit Award. More detail is in the testimony that I provided in written form.

Governor Engler's leadership in the 1990s has made a big difference in education in the state. We've done financial reform, where we reduced the property taxes and found a new financing mechanism, and for the long term began to narrow the gap between the high and the low spending districts. Schools of choice and charter schools have given more opportunity to parents to select educational options for their children. These have set more consequences in place for both good and bad performance.

The Governor's most recent issue is the Michigan Merit Award, a program which will fulfill several objectives. It will provide an opportunity to recognize and reward Michigan students that meet or exceed the state high school standards. It makes post-secondary education more affordable, an important goal, and becomes a ``household name'' and a standing part of the secondary education experience. We'll see, we believe, more demand from students themselves of themselves for performance, and in turn we think we'll see some more demand on schools from parents for improved performance.

The Merit Award Scholarship is a $2,500.00 scholarship for students who meet or exceed state standards on our assessment tests. As the name implies, it is purely merit based, and student financial need is not a consideration. The scholarship is available to every student in Michigan, whether they attend a public school, public school academy, non-public school, or home school. To be eligible the student must simply take the state Michigan Education Assessment Program tests in math, science, reading and writing, and pass all four; meet or exceed state standards in all four areas.

Now, we do have an alternative. You could meet or exceed state standards in simply two of the areas of math, science, reading or writing, and then place in the 75th percentile or above on college entrance exams, the ACT or the SAT exam. We are working on an alternative now which will have a focus on technical preparation and have a more job skills oriented exam.

We also will be moving this year to make this initial award eligible to students in the middle school years; $500.00 based on their performance on the 7th and 8th grade test. That money could be added at the point that they meet or exceed state standards in high school for a total award of $3,000.00.

We are very concerned about making sure that the Michigan Merit Award is flexible in its use. It can be used for vocational or technical training. We, in Michigan as in many other states, obviously see an enormous need now for high-skilled, technical professions that don't necessarily require university degrees. We call them ``gold collar'' jobs. They are often very skilled jobs with very good remuneration, but they don't necessarily require four-year degrees.

The flexibility associated with the Merit Award allows choice not only in where the student may go, whether it's a traditional university, community college or a vocational/technical kind of track, but also in what the student may use the money for. We are not limited just to tuition and fees, or room and board, but consider any expense necessary to continue on with studies. It may be day care. It may be transportation. We want the money and the money will be very flexible in its use. Even though it is a Michigan Merit Award designed to support Michigan activity, if the student, having met or exceeded state standards chooses to go to an out-of-state school, the award will still be good for $1,000.00 useable outside the state. The student has up to seven years to use the money, so they can make a decision to defer their studies for a short period of time, whether it's the military or some other option.

The program is administered in the agency that I'm responsible for, the Department of Treasury, under a Michigan Merit Award Board. That Board consists of the State Treasurer, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Director of our Department of Career Development, which is a new agency the Governor created this year to focus on post-secondary career opportunities that aren't necessarily university focused. Then there will be four other members appointed by the Governor. We expect those appointments to be made in the coming days.

The Michigan Merit Award Scholarship is funded with a portion of Michigan's share of the multi-state settlement with tobacco manufacturers. We believe this is a very good program, and we think it's an appropriate use of those funds. We use 30 percent of those revenues in the first year, 50 percent in the second year, and 75 percent in the following year, so there will be significant funds available to focus on health care related issues. We'll have money in health and aging research and development, long-term health care innovation grants, senior citizen prescription drug programs, but we are pleased to have the primary focus be on the Michigan Merit Award.

To summarize, the Michigan Merit Award Scholarship is a unique, innovative program. It is based on student achievement, not financial need. It may be used for study at a university or college, or for vocational/technical training. The use of the funds is flexible. With this program, we continue our commitment to and focus on student achievement and school performance. The Michigan Merit Award is a meaningful promise we can make to our students. ``Study hard and achieve, and your state will stand behind you.'' I can't think of no better graduation gift to our high school seniors, or a better investment in our state's future.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MARK A. MURRAY, TREASURER, STATE OF MICHIGAN, LANSING, MI - SEE APPENDIX F

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you.

As a parent of a high school senior, not only will the kids be tickled pink when they graduate, but some of us parents will be, too, so, thank you.

Mr. DeLine.

Mr. DeLine. Let me take a look at the strategic plan that's available in your packet there, and I'll be talking mostly from that. It's colored and I want you to know that we received $220,000.00 from the federal government and this is how we spent it. This is reality for Tekonsha schools over a two-year period. The green is what monies were actually impacted by this $220,000.00.

The first part there is our zero to five program, where we attract all the kindergartners and pre-kindergartners, and try to do something with their parents. We haven't had much of an impact from the federal government on that area, as you can see. It's a possibility that you may want to support more in that area, but Head Start is the only program that we recommend to our parents that is important there.

The next green that you move down to is Accelerated Reader. We spent $10,000.00 on that, bought some books, and ended the school year with about 10,000 books read by 150 kids. That was a sizeable amount. There's two parts to the Accelerated Reader. There's the STAR program, which is the testing program to determine what grade level they are. The next thing is that they read a book and they take a test on the computer and the Accelerated Reader reports that out. I can push a button and get all the at-risk kids. That's what I like about it, so I know who is at risk in our schools. We identified 30 kids that were at risk.

As you can see, the successful and unsuccessful students are represented by the blue and the red. Our unsuccessful at-risk students that are identified by the Accelerated Reader go to the H.O.S.T.S. program. Also, that's where we have 30 volunteers that come in and meet with these 30 kids that have been identified. That costs about $35,000.00 over three years. That was part of Title I and other monies that came from the federal government that we put into that. We felt that that was still not enough, and so we assigned those 30 at-risk kids to paraprofessionals. I took the $50,000.00 a year that adds up to the $220,000.00, added onto that and hired paraprofessionals who were assigned five or six kids.

These three programs are easy to implement because instead of adding tasks to the teacher's classroom all they had to do was point to the computer; the Accelerated Reader. After reading they would take a test and then come back to their desks. All the information is recorded on there, and is a quiet host, because you point to a door and they go to the volunteers that meet with the children for an hour. The impact of that was after testing. We tested at the beginning of the H.O.S.T. program and at the end we saw a 2.4 average gain in those 30 kids. The paraprofessionals meeting with them on a daily basis to help them so the total projection there, as you can see the green, impacted us tremendously as I'll show you in a few minutes from our test results. Adequate yearly progress was something that I wanted to share with you in just a second, and it's in the back of your packets there.

The other thing that had some impact on us from the federal government was where you took some time from us. My staff and myself spent over 600 hours trying to decipher that, so it may be something that you want to consider in the future once you pass something. Six hundred hours is a lot of hours. I mean, if we had to pay those people for that I might get back some of those $220,000.00. But, I still feel that that's something that you should be aware of. Every law that's passed has a tremendous impact on us as far as staff. That's why I put that in there, and circled it in the special education area. We are talking from this paper here.

The other thing that's in green is that I got one grant. They put about 200 hours into these grants and got one grant out of about ten from the federal government; Goals 2000 and another one. So, those are the kind of things.

Our results, quickly, show adequate year progress. We show that we went from "no" before we instituted this, to all "yes" in our adequate year progress. What did we do? We just cut down on the low percentages. The rest of my report is basically there, and my time is up.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF JOHN DeLINE, SUPERINTENDENT, TEKONSHA COMMUNITY SCHOOLS, TEKONSHA, MI - SEE APPENDIX G

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you. Mr. Stobie.

Mr. Stobie. Distinguished Members of the Committee, I'm the Principal of Jackson High School in Jackson, Michigan, and I'm also the President of the Michigan Association of Secondary School Principals. I'm also a member of the National Association for Secondary School Principals, NASSP. I'm honored to testify this morning before this group, and I'm proud to represent both Jackson High School and the 2,000 members of MASSP.

Research continues to show that the role of principals in schools is critical. Good schools have good principals. As in the Congress, or anywhere people are served, the Leader sets the tone for the organization. This is never truer than in the principalship.

Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary School Education Act, ESEA, is critical for the nation's public schools to remain competitive in today's climate of "choice." In the past, ESEA has provided funding to states and localities for programs and services that ``equalize the playing field'' for disadvantaged students, and it has provided enhanced services that public schools would not otherwise be able to afford.

Additionally, it is recommended that the reauthorization include the following: a greater focus on middle level and high school education.

Number one, judging from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), middle and secondary students continue to be behind their peers in other countries. Recently, Title I funds earmarked for secondary use have been diverted to elementary use causing excellent test scores in those areas but doing little for the middle or secondary level student.

Number two, supporting instructional leadership training initiatives for principals. MASSP and NASSP strongly support a federal role to help assure sufficient numbers of qualified candidates for the principalship. As schools reach to meet the challenges of the next century, qualified leadership plays a key role in setting the course for attaining success. Both MASSP and NASSP recommend funding a program, under the Dwight D. Eisenhower Professional Development Program. This would provide funds for grants for local education associations for the purposes of providing leadership training for principals, recruiting candidates for the principalship in elementary, middle and secondary schools, and offering continuing education in the area of best practices for principals.

Three, recognizing the key role of principals in providing safe and effective learning environments. Although schools remain among the safest places for young people, incidents of violence within the classroom threaten that environment. Recent school shootings in communities across the nation are poignant examples that schools are no longer protected from the horrific acts that once took place outside the school doors.

The Safe and Drug Free Schools Act has historically provided states and localities with resources to address these problems by implementing innovative programs which help ensure safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools.

Four, providing an opportunity for all children to learn. Educational choice, and vouchers in particular are issues which are surely to be debated as Congress reauthorizes ESEA. It is encouraged that proposals offered in Congress regarding issues related to choice assure the following. That the ``choice playing field'' is even with all schools required to follow the same mandates, including selection, admissions and retention of all students, and the licensing and certification of all professional staff; that all schools comply with state and federal legislation for the education of all youth; that choice does not adversely affect the ethnic racial balance of the participating school district; that all students have an equal opportunity for choices offered without discrimination on the basis of race, sex, socioeconomic status or disability; that schools having a net loss of students are not unfairly affected financially with their educational programs suffering a loss of quality; and that public funds are not used for the advancement of religious or political doctrines in violation of historical constitutional prohibition.

In conclusion, the Elementary and Secondary Education Act has served public education well over its long history. Its enhanced continuance is a must for public education to survive in the 21st Century.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF THOMAS J. STOBIE, PRINCIPAL, JACKSON HIGH SCHOOL, JACKSON, MI AND PRESIDENT OF THE MICHIGAN ASSOCIATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL PRINCIPALS - SEE APPENDIX H

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you. Mr. Gagnon.

Mr. Gagnon. Mr. Chairman and Congressmen, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today. Currently, I serve as the Executive Director of CENT-Employment Services, our local Employment Service provider for Branch, Berrien and Calhoun Counties. I have served in this role for the last two years. Before CENT, I served as a Manager of Organizational Development for a large Japanese-owned auto parts manufacturer, the largest employer here in Battle Creek. My role in this organization for a ten-year period was to design the systems to be used by the organization that would foster the development of the work force. So, I guess you could say that the output of the educational system was the input into my system.

When preparing for this testimony, I took the opportunity to speak to several of our educational leaders and employers in the three-county area. I have tried to incorporate most of their comments in this testimony, as well as provide some of my own. Details will be found in the written document.

First, I'd like to share with you a couple of successes that we've had in the Battle Creek area. In our community, we have designed an area-wide career development system whose purpose is to provide all students with the academic and workplace experiences they need to prepare them for success in their chosen fields and in lifelong learning. Our educators and business professionals have been working together since the early 90s. Partners include K-12, post-secondary partners, employer participation and parental involvement. This has been possible by developing a shared vision in the development of our tech-prep, school-to-work and career-planning activities. Recently, we sent 50 middle and high school counselors into area businesses to learn about the academic and technical prep needed for different career pathways. This program was immensely successful.

Our employers and educators have also diligently worked together to develop our area Math and Science Center. This center is nationally recognized and is one of 25 in the state. We have the opportunity to provide both pullout programs and outreach programs to the community. Both of these programs have been extremely successful and we've had a great success rate of students who have gone on to college.

Some of the concerns that I learned of from our local leaders when talking with them fall into three key areas. Those areas include funding, system issues and standards, or the lack of standards.

In the funding area, the concern was raised regarding categorical funding for Math and Science Centers. Each year the funding must be voted on and really causes problems for long-term planning for the Centers and the time and effort involved in securing the federal grants for school-to-work, tech-prep and career prep. Concerns were raised regarding the funding for the infrastructure. A lot of our schools are outdated, and voters aren't keen on raising additional taxes. Also, concerns regarding funding for staff development technology costs.

System issues include the problem that schools are lacking focus and asked to do too much. Right now, they are clothing, feeding, and providing medical assistance, as well as the three Rs. If you were to ask any institution to spread itself across such a diverse sort of globe, any organization would fail. We need to allow schools to focus on their primary mission.

We also need to increase the awareness of science and math and technology and apprenticeship programs. Our testing and assessment systems don't measure the work behaviors or skills that are necessary to be successful in the workplace. Also, if you go to your performance evaluations, they are not evaluating work skills or behaviors amongst educational personnel.

We are also lacking standards for many different areas including reading and math, school effectiveness, apprenticeships, adult learner and work experiences. If you don't have standards you don't know how you are doing regarding reaching your goal, so how do you judge whether you are being successful or not.

In summary, some changes are needed in our educational institutions. Funding, system issues, and the clear identification of the need for standards in several areas indicate that some reforms are needed. Solutions that are developed need to include multiple partners, technology and new instructional design methodology. If we are to remain competitive in our communities and in our nation we must realistically confront the issues and face them.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MICHAEL GAGNON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, COUNCIL FOR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS AND TRAINING EMPLOYMENT SERVICES, BATTLE CREEK, MI - SEE APPENDIX I

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you very much. Ms. Johnson.

Ms. Johnson. Mr. Congressmen, our schools today have many challenges that we all must face. Finding effective methods of teaching, helping children to cope with their dysfunctional families, and properly handling disciplinary problems are just a few of the issues that we face today. We need to deal with these challenges. We need to learn from them and move on. This will require change. The need for change is not an issue that can be passed by. Dealing with change can be intimidating, but if we prepare for it through training, planning and communication, we can make it happen.

In order to ensure our success in overcoming these challenges, professional development for teachers, and administration, and principals, is a must. Whether these teachers have been teaching for years or they are just new teachers out of colleges, it's very important that we must continue to grow and learn new concepts and also use them along with best practices to educate our children.

There are a couple of issues I've been thinking about when I was asked to testify before the Committee. To be honest it was kind of hard, because I'm not a politician, I'm just a teacher, and I'm a mom. I'm not a college president. I'm just a teacher.

Chairman Hoekstra. Just for your information, there's only one rocket scientist here.

Ms. Johnson. There is?

Chairman Hoekstra. He's at the end of the table here, and then you've got a farmer and you've got a furniture peddler, so you are in good company.

Ms. Johnson. All right.

Chairman Hoekstra. All right?

Ms. Johnson. I'd like to see a grandparent program brought into the schools. Students thrive when a grandparent comes into the school to read to them, to tell them a story, to sit them on their laps. They can provide so much nurturing and history that I cannot give them. It's so nice to see the kids, their faces aglow when a grandparent walks into the classroom. I would love to see this every day. I'd love to see senior citizens brought in, because our kids don't get the nurturing that they need. We have so many dysfunctional families, the only way we are going to staff this is to encourage it.

The other thing I would like to see brought back are the arts. We are so pushed by curriculum, pushed by math, pushed by science, pushed by needs, that we often forget that there are lots of students out there that are not going to be mathematicians. They are not going to be good readers. We forget that. We need to teach them how to care for themselves, how to cook, bring back home-ec, and how to build things with their hands. We need to teach math that is appropriate for them; shop math is one. We often forget that, and I see this every day sitting in the classroom and it disturbs me because these kids will say, well, what about me, I don't understand. So, that's when I come in and I bring out all my hands-on things and try to make it as easy as possible for them to understand, and still at times they don't get it.

I would like to see these kinds of things brought back into the school system at the early level. You know, we've had art all through time and through art we've learned about our culture, about our history, about our heritage. You know, to understand a story you have to read it. To understand literature, you have to understand it. To understand painting, you have to paint. We need these models. We need these things brought back to enhance the creativity in our children.

I would also like to see a mentoring program brought back as a high school credit, all the way from ninth through 12th grade for middle school students. Middle school students look up to the high school students for many things. They think that they are cool. We have a big friend program, but I'd like to see it offered as a college or a high school credit, where they actually go and work every single day with a student in math, or reading, or spelling, or just social skills to nurture these kids. They need it.

The other thing I would like to talk about a little bit is the university curriculum. I was a non-traditional student. I started college when I was 27. I raised my family first, and I worked in the school for 13 years. In all honesty, it's not the college that taught me what I learned. I learned from working with the teachers not from the books. I learned from the actual hands-on experience. I would love to see the colleges give two years of mandatory class work, but I'd also like to see two years of mandatory in-the-classroom working with the diverse needs of children of all kinds.

In summary, I would just like to say with regard to that rocket scientist, we need to make our children number one. Wouldn't it be great if teachers and students had everything they need to do their best. If the children could be put first, then maybe NASA would have the next bake sale instead of the PTA. As a parent, and as a teacher, I feel that children get into trouble because of lack of values that reflect integrity. By the omission of this training, it is almost as if we uphold these attitudes that cry out, if something is not clearly said than it must be okay. Or, as long as what I am doing isn't wrong, then don't point your finger at me. As a result, unwise decisions are made. Ignoring the teaching of values can have devastating consequences. How can we expect children to make good healthy decisions in their lives if they have no training about how to make them?

Learning to make decisions and forming strong values must be taught along with the process of allowing children to develop a sense of responsibility to themselves as well as others. We, as teachers, must have a strong commitment to honesty and integrity. I think its important that our students have good role models at this pivotal time in their lives. Students need to know the good guys don't finish last. They need to see there's honor and satisfaction in making healthy, thoughtful and wise decisions. I believe this is a necessary part of learning if they are to lead a happy and productive life.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF JULIE JOHNSON, EMI SPECIAL EDUCATION TEACHER, UNION CITY SCHOOLS, SHERWOOD, MI - SEE APPENDIX J

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you very much. Ms. Sloma.

Ms. Sloma. I would just like to say that I'm honored to be here today, and I'm really grateful for the opportunity to be able to speak on behalf of my fellow students. It is my hope today that the personal experiences that I'm going to relate will be helpful in providing insight into what is beneficial to students.

I have been in the Battle Creek Public Schools for my entire career as a student. When I started my education entering kindergarten I was very outgoing for my age and had confidence in my skills as a young pupil. I was very attentive and extremely eager to understand how to master the basic skills of learning. At an early age, my thirst for learning and curiosity drove me to excel academically. As my schooling progressed through elementary school, I was asked on occasion by teachers to help students in the class who may have been having trouble with a particular subject. I readily agreed and got satisfaction from helping a fellow classmate. However, as I got older and entered junior high school, the school work became more demanding, yet at times I was still asked by some teachers to provide in-class help to other students. This was frustrating for me because sometimes the students were uncooperative and they were not willing to learn. I felt I was not getting the full benefit of my education in this particular class, because of the sacrifice of vital time. I could have been working beyond the basic requirements of the class curriculum.

In junior high school, I was not offered the choice of accelerated or advanced classes. I was enrolled in mainstream classes that combined students from the entire academic spectrum. Often I got frustrated when put into ``cooperative learning groups'' because at times I was the only person in the group who contributed an opinion or who completed the assignment. Many times the work load was not distributed evenly in the group, and I'd get stuck with the work of the entire group. I understand that the hope for this type of group is to get everyone motivated and on the same level, but often this comes at the expense of the conscientious student who wants to go above and beyond the requirements.

In elementary school, I learned the basic skills of productive communication and the core fundamentals. My career as a junior high student was successful due to a few very influential teachers that challenged me despite the restraints of the curriculum. I got involved in the school band and found that to be very challenging. I set a goal in that class and worked very hard and eventually achieved it. The personal satisfaction I got from reaching this goal gave me the desire to be challenged in all aspects of my education. Applying to the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center seemed like a golden opportunity for me.

I was accepted to the Math and Science Center at the end of eighth grade. When I entered the Math and Science center as a freshman, all the students were split up and put into groups for team building activities where everyone on the team had to participate or the activities would not be completed successfully. This served a couple of purposes for me. Not only did I get to know and become friends with people from all over the area, but I learned how to work successfully in groups and become productive as a part of a whole. The cooperative learning groups of the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center have been beneficial to me because of every participant's desire to learn and excel.

One of the many remarkable things about the Math and Science Center is the environment that is created by the staff and students. It is one where everyone can feel free to say what he or she thinks, and they will be shown respect. Once a day, all the staff and students meet for announcements. Staff and students are asked if there are announcements for that particular day. I think this serves to open communication between staff and students on a daily basis, and it keeps everyone informed of current events, not only what is happening in the Math and Science Center, but in Battle Creek in general. I think that this prevents misunderstandings that may occur between staff and individuals or the student body. Trust is an important factor that also contributes to the unique environment at the Battle Creek Math and Science Center.

As a freshman at the Math and Science Center, I was very encouraged by the focused atmosphere. It pushed me to work to my full academic ability. It was tough in the beginning, and still is as a senior. I think that it is preparing me for the future. For example, I'm already familiar with college lab techniques, college level classes, and how to write formal lab reports. Competition among students is common, but I've never seen it reach an unhealthy level. The friendly competition I have experienced has only been helpful to me. The comfortable learning atmosphere that is generated has been extremely conducive to my learning in the areas of math and science.

During my education, other than at the Math and Science Center, there have been times when I've been the focus of negative peer pressure because of my drive to succeed academically. I have not let this affect me, but I have seen some of my peers fail to push themselves to their full academic ability due to this peer pressure. At the Math and Science Center, the peer pressure is positive because of the students'' willingness to learn at an accelerated level. This opportunity is sometimes not available at schools in the areas of math and science.

At the Battle Creek Area Math and Science Center, everything is focused on the students achieving success. Teachers are always available hours after school gets out if a student needs extra help in a particular subject. When a student is scheduling classes, the first concern after the requirements are met is that the classes are tailored around their interests and needs, particularly if the student is an upper classman. This contrasts with the typical school trying to make the students fit into their master schedule. Students here have always had access to high-quality equipment, like computers and lab equipment. I've never experience a shortage of the necessary learning materials, like textbooks and in-class supplementary packets. These things, I think, have all contributed to making me a successful student at the Math and Science Center.

As a result of going to the Math and Science Center, I received many opportunities I would never have received otherwise. The Math and Science Center offers a research program called ``independent research,'' where a student or a team of students can independently research a subject in the fields of math, science or technology, and work in the school or outside at a business or university. I got involved in independent research at the beginning of my junior year. Every other day in my last-period class, my research partner and I go to Western Michigan University and conduct scientific research in the laboratory under the direction of a professor. We were allowed in-class time to go to Western, and had to periodically check in with our independent research advisor at the Math and Science Center. My partner and I worked all junior year on our original research project and wrote a formal research paper. We entered the Southwest Michigan Science and Engineering Fair competition at the urging of our director and advisor. We won first place regionally, allowing us to go to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and give and compete at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair. As preparation for competing internationally, we got the rare opportunity to go to Pharmacia and Upjohn and present our project to the top research chemists there. This was a wonderful opportunity that proved very beneficial to my partner and I in preparation for the science fair. We went to Philadelphia where we met people our age from all over the world doing amazing things in the fields of math, science and engineering. We attended several seminars presented by world-renowned scientists. My partner and I won third place in team projects at Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair. This amazing experience would never have been possible if it weren't for the opportunities at the Math and Science Center.

I'd just like to leave you with that I do not think the Math and Science Center is for every student. It is for the college-bound student who is willing to make learning their number one priority. The teachers, facility, equipment, and resources at the Battle Creek Math and Science Center contribute to the outstanding education it offers. My goal to attend the University of Chicago and study the geological sciences is a possibility for me now because of the education and experience I received as a student at the Center. I look forward to college knowing that I have received the best education our area can offer in the fields of math and science, knowing that in my opinion it is second to none.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF MELINDA M. SLOMA, SENIOR STUDENT, BATTLE CREEK AREA MATH AND SCIENCE CENTER, BATTLE CREEK, MI - SEE APPENDIX K

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you. Mr. Ebel

Mr. Ebel. Mr. Chairman, Congressmen, thank you very much for giving me this opportunity, and it's a great experience. Thank you.

I believe that today's world offers many challenges, pressures and obstacles for all of us. Set backs, pressures, and occasional failures are all part of everyone's lives. Every world leader, saint, and hero, and even Congressmen, I'm sure, can tell of hard times in their lives. But they can also tell of how they overcame those obstacles and achieved success. I believe in that kind of success story. I believe personal success can be achieved by anyone. My education provided for my success, and I believe that everyone, given the right opportunities, can share in that educational provision and can help develop the right attitude which is key to achievement.

Throughout my secondary schooling, I have attended three different schools. In my freshman year of high school, I attended a small Catholic school. It was a very unique experience, but, unfortunately there were not a whole lot of options I could choose from. For this reason, I switched to public schools. It was a much different experience. There was so much more that I could do, and so much more that was offered to me. It was somewhat hard to switch, but I thought that it was a very good decision. The third school I've attended is the Battle Creek Math and Science Center. I feel this is one of the greatest experiences I've ever had. I started out here in the ninth grade, going half the day here and half the day at my regular home school. There was about 100 kids in each grade here at the Math and Science Center, and all the students are from eight area high schools and were selected after taking a placement test.

Over the last few years, I have become very good friends with many of the students here. Everyone that goes here does so because he or she wants to be challenged. I love to learn new things, and I love to push myself, and if the teachers feel that they are not challenging a student enough here they are willing to make changes.

My freshman year, a group of about 15 students was taken from the regular math classes, because the teachers thought it was best for us. We then worked together with a different instructor and moved at a pace that they felt was right, and now as a junior I've started my second year of college calculus. While attending the Math and Science Center, I've also had many opportunities to do other things.

This year I'm attending a Geology Conference in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and I'm also doing a year long independent research project on the water quality of our lakes and rivers. This project, along with helping me to improve my research skills, will also benefit the community by helping to improve our water systems. If I do well on this project, my goal is to enter into national research competition. I'm very excited about this project, because I will also be able to make use of our new analytical chemistry lab. This lab, being one of the only of its kind in the area, is yet another opportunity that has been provided for us here. The Math and Science Center has been a great chance for me to challenge myself and learn many new things.

I think the best way to give every student a chance to succeed is to give every student equal learning opportunities. Not every school in the United States provides the same quality of education to students. Students in poorer areas of the country do not get all the same chances I've been given. Everything that can be done should be done to help all students receive equal chances to learn.

First, the schools need the resources to be able to teach the students. With good resources, many students would be willing to learn. For example, schools should be updated with modern technology, having computer labs to help motivate students, and also having a computer in every class which is hooked up to the Internet would give many classrooms the resources that they need.

I believe teachers should be educated so that they know of all the new technology. They should be taught how to encourage students to learn, and should be taught how to make their classes fun and how to motivate their students. With the right resources and the right environment I think any student can learn.

Like the Math and Science Center, I've also heard of very good programs at the Technology Center in Battle Creek, and a program called 21st Century Health at the local hospital. Offering these types of programs really helps to encourage students to learn more, and may even help them to decide what type of job they would like to pursue in the future after they've graduated from high school.

I really feel that along with the excellent education provided by our home schools, the opportunities from specialized centers are important to round out education and provide not only for students who love to learn, but also for students so that their love for learning can begin. When all schools are provided with equal facilities, programs and funding, equal opportunities will evolve along with a love for learning for all students.

Thank you.

WRITTEN STATEMENT OF TRAVIS EBEL, JUNIOR STUDENT, LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL, BATTLE CREEK, MI - SEE APPENDIX L

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you very much. For each member of the panel, and also for the audience, many members of the panel shortened their verbal testimony, but your written testimony will be submitted in its entirety for the record.

Let me just ask a couple of questions. I think, Mr. Gagnon, in your written testimony which you didn't refer to in your oral testimony, you talked about the work of applying for grants that I think Mr. DeLine talked about.

Mr. DeLine. Yes. I heard a lot of concerns from the educational leaders in our community who deal with administering and securing the school-to-work, tech-prep, and prep grants. I guess the time involved with the grant application process is enormous.

I heard one story where 66 staff hours were spent completing a survey that was necessary to complete a school-to-work grant application. I think time could be better spent on designing systems, and working with students and educators, than fulfilling some bureaucratic paper work. So I guess that's the concern that came out and what I wanted to share.

Chairman Hoekstra. I think this table in the middle here is kind of interesting. Mr. Stobie, I think you asked for a program specifically dealing with mentoring or educational dollars available for principalships, right? This would mean one new program, another new program or an allowable use, which would require an additional grant request to be filled out to see if you would be able to get it

You know, this is what we are wrestling with in Washington. We get a dollar from the taxpayer here in west Michigan, it goes to Washington and then we try to distribute it. At the university level these guys apply for grants, the states apply for grants, and at the K-12 level you guys apply for grants. You know, we've probably got 300-400 programs that go just K-12, and you've got to find out about them, so we've got to educate you about these programs. Then you fill out the paper work and send it to Washington. We then stand at the top of the stairs and throw them down and decide who gets the grants and who doesn't.

You get the money, and then you send us back a report telling us how you spent the money. We know that we can't trust you, so we send an auditor in to make sure that you haven't lied to us, and the end result is that we think that we lost about $.40 cents of that dollar in the bureaucracy and the red tape. That's why Vern was talking about trying to get $.95 cents of every dollar into the classroom where it makes a difference with a child.

The question is, Mr. Stobie, where are you really? Would you like to get fewer checks but with a whole lot more flexibility, or do you really want a principalship program? Or, would you rather have us say here's that program, but you can use it for the development of teachers, faculty or principals? Where do you really want to go?

Mr. Stobie. Certainly, I'm always in favor of less bureaucracy, and my suggestion for the training of principals would come under the Eisenhower Program.

Chairman Hoekstra. So, it would be an allowable use?

Mr. Stobie. Allowable use?

Chairman Hoekstra. Okay. All right. Allowable use is where a school district gets a check, or a state gets a check, and we expand what it can be used for so that you are not arguing for a new program. You are arguing for it to become an allowable use.

Mr. Stobie. Allowable, yes.

Chairman Hoekstra. We also follow the yellow and green lights, and to set a good example for my colleagues I'll yield to my colleague, Mr. Smith.

Mr. Smith. I'll start out with the two college presidents. Give me your impression of remedial training efforts, where we've been, where we are going, and how serious a problem is it in terms of students not having the kind of knowledge in different areas that you think are necessary. How much remedial work are we doing at Michigan State and Albion?

Mr. Mitchell. At Albion, because of the nature of the institution, a national liberal arts college, the selectivity ratio allows us to admit students who are almost always well prepared. We do have a study skills center that works with those students who need improvement in their writing and comprehension skills, and in the math area as well.

I would estimate that probably about ten percent of the students have access to that and they find it to be very helpful.

Mr. McPherson. The remedial program at Michigan State is almost entirely math. Over a decade, it's gone down in excess of a third. About 20 percent of the students as freshmen have some sort of remedial math program that's gone down from over 30 percent a decade ago.

We anticipate that will continue to drop. What we are doing, we hope, is providing somewhat clearer expectations for the students and the schools as to what we think is necessary to succeed at Michigan State. Also there is now available on the web a test for students to take well before they come to Michigan State to see where their various weaknesses might be. We plan over this next year to have a more extensive test available on the web that students can self-take to see the specific areas of weaknesses that they might have.

Mr. Smith. And, in terms of selectivity, is Michigan State with the demand for higher education becoming more selective? How do you draw a line and decide what to call it?

Mr. McPherson. Clearly, we almost had in excess of 22,000 applications last year for 6,500 freshman slots. The average entering class GPA this fall was about 3.5. That's up a little bit. One of the questions for public universities in Michigan and around the country is since high school graduation numbers are increasing, we would hope that a larger percentage of students of color go on to higher education than have been.

So, I think the demographics say, at least through 2007 or 2008, we are going to have steadily greater applicants to Michigan State. We are now the largest applicant pool of any university in the state.

Mr. Smith. Julie Johnson, I really appreciated your testimony and some of the things you said relating to reinforced values in school, but I'm not going to ask you.

I'm going to ask Travis or Ms. Sloma. Give me your ideas, with the recent shootings that we've had. What do you see as some of the things that we should be doing, or should be doing more of that would help reduce that? How do we accommodate in the school system; should we start teaching values? Where do you see the weaknesses and dangers?

Mr. Ebel. My experience is, I have had like a supporting family, and I play sports. I have a lot of peers that really help support me. And, like here at the Math and Science Center, I have a lot of peers that like really support me in my education. I think these kids probably didn't have a lot of that. They didn't have as much as I have like programs like the Math and Science Center, and different things. They really help, just like give you support like extra curricular activities and different sports programs. You'll have peers and, you know.

Mr. Smith. Melinda, give me your reaction. As you look at some of your associates that you have observed that possibly were at least suspect that they might get in trouble later, do you see anything that we can reinforce in our systems to help them?

Ms. Sloma. Well, one common thing I see with people that are sometimes not successful in school, obviously, there are learning disabilities, and that doesn't really have to deal with a nonsupportive home. I come from a very supportive home, which has been very influential in my succeeding in my education.

I think that a lot of times the goal at certain schools is lost because there is a worry about discipline and violence, and the focus on the students getting the education is lost because people are having to be disciplined in the classroom. That was one of the things about going to the Math and Science Center, and the school I came from, there's no disciplinary action that has to be taken during class that may interrupt the learning process. That contributes to a comfortable learning environment, which I think is very helpful to me.

But, with students I think it's very hard for teachers to help students who come from not very supportive homes, because they only have them for eight hours of the day. So, I think extra curricular activities, like Travis said, are very helpful, because it builds confidence, it gets you familiar with your peers and your school district.

Mr. Smith. Thank you. Mr. Chairman, thank you.

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you.

Peter, just a quick follow-up. For those of us that would be interested in knowing what Michigan State students need to know entering the university, the test that you talked about that's on the web, could we take it?

Mr. McPherson. Yes.

Chairman Hoekstra. Is it no fee?

Mr. McPherson. Yes.

Chairman Hoekstra. So, we could take it, and anybody in the audience or any parent who wanted to know what we were expecting, or what Michigan State was expecting from an incoming student, could actually go to the web, could take a look at the test or could actually take the test.

Mr. McPherson. And, the test will show your relative strengths. The new test, which will be available later this year, will go beyond that and show where your weaknesses and strengths are with some detail.

And, the hope would be that students would take that well in advance of coming to Michigan State and, therefore, do something about it. One of the other things we are working on is whether we can have some courses on the web that would be available the summer or so before students come. They could, one, determine their weaknesses, and, two, by way of the web take some courses to address those weaknesses.

Chairman Hoekstra. So, for those of us that are convinced that kids today aren't learning nearly as much as what we had to when we were in high school, we could challenge them and take the test and see who knows more, right?

Mr. McPherson. That's right.

Chairman Hoekstra. All right. Okay. Just checking, and being Dutch I needed to know if I had to pay for this or not. Vern.

Mr. Ehlers. Thank you, Chairman Hoekstra.

A couple of questions, and maybe we should take the test. State legislators, perhaps, ought to take it, too. Let me just make some comments without getting into a lot of questions, because we do have a plane to catch. I appreciated your comment to me, Doctor Mitchell, and I'm very happy that I was able to do what I did.

Doctor McPherson, I appreciated your comments about improved training of teachers. I think that's very important. In the last two years I spent working on this report, which has been approved by the Congress now, unlocking our future towards a new national science policy, we have quite a section there on improving math/science education. And, a good deal of the emphasis is on teacher training, and part of the project I'm working on now involves that.

It seems to me, particularly since we are going to add 2 million new teachers in the next decade as the baby boomers retire, the key issue is finding, training and keeping good teachers, and every one of those is important. It's more important to recruit teachers today, and not just assume they are going to come. Fifty years ago, if you were a female you became a teacher or a nurse. Today there are equal opportunities in all fields, and we really have to go out and recruit teachers, both male and female, to fill the need.

Secondly, we have to train them properly, and I appreciate your comments on what you are doing. That's absolutely essential, and I do think we have to go to five years. The prospective teachers won't like to hear that, but if we're going to do all that we need to do, in addition to providing the classroom practice which they need, I don't see how you can avoid five years in a good program.

The final step is a really important one often overlooked, and that's keeping the teachers. That's becoming more and more of a problem in today's world. First of all, there are many other opportunities out there, and second, teaching is a very, very difficult profession in the best of circumstances. Often teachers are in the worst of circumstances, rather than in the best of circumstances.

So, I think we, as a nation, have to really work in all three aspects of recruitment.

In other words finding teachers, training teachers, and keeping teachers is going to be essential to solve our problem.

I also want to thank Ms. Johnson for the reality check. We are conducting a Hearing in a superb institution that is doing a great job from everything we see, not only here in these walls, but serving around the community. We have two students testifying who have proved their ability to learn and to do independent research and even won awards for it, and that's outstanding.

Ms. Johnson, I appreciate your testimony because not everyone can do it. I think the goal of education has to be, to paraphrase the Army's motto, to help everyone be all they can be. I think it's marvelous if they can go to the university or do post-graduate work. That's wonderful. That should be a goal, but not everyone can, for one reason or another. It's very important that we not lose sight of that, and also provide adequate training for every level of ability.

Now, don't think that this Math and Science Training Center can't do some of that as well. You'll find some students who are very good in math and who simply have great difficulty in some other academic subjects, and the other way around as well.

I have a grandson who is extremely dyslexic. There are a number of reasons for that developing or growing up in a Third World country during his early years. It's a real struggle for him. Yet, he is very, very bright in many, many areas, and the school system has to take account of differences in ability. I appreciate your bringing out that point. It becomes important in many areas but it is a real dilemma for our system, and in Washington certainly we have to get away from the idea that one size fits all. There are many different sizes out there, and we have to do the best we can to help all become everything they can possibly be.

End of sermon. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Chairman Hoekstra. Thank you.

Mr. Stobie, your written statement talks about educational choice and vouchers, which will surely be debated as Congress reauthorizes ESEA. Actually, I think it may not be debated that much. I just wanted to make the comment, I think that much of the prevailing thought in Washington is that the educational choice and the amount of educational choice is a decision that needs to be made at the state level.

You know, we are seeing a lot of different movements around the country. California, Michigan and Arizona have charter schools you know. So everybody has got a slight variation on how aggressively and under what rules they are implementing charter schools. Cleveland and Milwaukee have experimented with certain forms of vouchers. Minnesota is doing tax credits. Florida is doing vouchers, and I think that what you are going to see in Washington is that the decision on choice will be made at the state level.

The federal dollars will be aligned in such a way that federal dollars will follow the choice that individual states make as to how public dollars move around from one student to the next. And, I think you are going to see us stay out of that debate and leave that debate up to the states. Who knows, Michigan may have a rather vigorous debate on that coming up. Michigan voters may be faced with a choice on the ballot in 2000 dealing with that issue, but I just wanted to clarify that for you. I think most people are recognizing that it's a state's issue and not a federal issue. What we need at the federal government level, as schools open up the whole choice debate, is that federal dollars follow public dollars at the state level.

Right now, there are some handicaps that federal dollars aren't following students to a public charter school, and is that the appropriate thing, and those kinds of things? So, I think that's where our involvement is going to be.

Nick, you had some additional questions?

Mr. Smith. Well, Mr. Chairman, with your permission, would it be possible to allow anybody in the audience that would like to make about a 60-second comment to do so?

Chairman Hoekstra. I'm open to it. We have five, or six or seven minutes left. Is there anybody from the audience who would like to make a comment?

Yes, if you could move forward and state your name for the stenographer for the record. Grab one of those microphones, and if you've got a question for us, or if you've got a comment or a question for somebody on the panel, you are more than welcome.

Mr. Kirsh. Hi, I'm Jeff Kirsh, Superintendent of Addison Community Schools.

Chairman Hoekstra. Great, welcome.

Mr. Kirsh. I'm a neighbor of Congressman Smith.

Chairman Hoekstra. Okay.

Mr. Kirsh. I listened to my colleague, Mr. DeLine, talk about dollars, in terms of his budget, and I think he mentioned $200,000.00 plus federal dollars. I listened to Congressman Smith talk about 5 percent, 6 percent, and 7 percent.

In Addison, we've got about $125,000.00 in federal money and our annual budget is approaching $9 million. Let's do the math here. As the late J.P. McCarthy used to say, it's not the dollars, it's the amount. So, when we talk about federal dollars, I think we are not all in the same ball park, in terms of our districts and how many federal dollars we've got to work with.

Chairman Hoekstra. That's very surprising to me, that you've got a $9 million budget...

Mr. Kirsh. We're getting close to that.

Chairman Hoekstra. ...and only $100,000.00.

Mr. Kirsh. About $110,000.00 federal.

Chairman Hoekstra. Really?

Mr. Kirsh. Yes.

Chairman Hoekstra. That is the lowest I've ever heard. I mean, when Nick was talking about five or six percent, you know. My district includes communities like Holland and Grand Haven, and up into Baldwin, Lake County, one of the ten poorest counties in the country. I mean, my percentage would rate anywhere from 7 to 12 percent.

Mr. Kirsh. We'll take it.

Chairman Hoekstra. Yeah, I would guess you would. We may want to follow up with you. All right? Good. Thank you.

Yes.

Mr. DeLine. May I just say that everything comes from at-risk students, and we have a lot more at-risks I would say than he does.

Chairman Hoekstra. Mr. DeLine, how big is your total budget?

Mr. DeLine. $3 million.

Chairman Hoekstra. Okay.

Mr. DeLine. So, it's $100,000.00 a year, but with the at-risk comes the free lunch. We have 50 percent who are on free lunch.

Chairman Hoekstra. All right, good.

Yes. You are standing. You wanted to say something, right?

Mr. Campbell. Do I need a microphone?

Chairman Hoekstra. Yes, probably. If you'd state your name.

Mr. Campbell. Yes, I'm Dave Campbell, and I'm a high school principal. Over the last eight years as a high school principal I've had an opportunity to hire a lot of teachers, and I just wanted to back-up what Mr. Ehlers is saying. There's a tremendous teacher shortage due to the retirements that you alluded to, and the recruitment of teachers and administrators is absolutely critical. The last statistics I heard was 110,000 people nationwide just graduated to become teachers with about 200,000 openings.

We don't have to graduate from the Battle Creek Math and Science Center to figure out the math that we've got a significant shortage. I think that anything aimed in the direction of drawing more people into education to work with our students would be critical.

Chairman Hoekstra. Where are you a principal?

Mr. Campbell. Olivet, a little town north of here.

Chairman Hoekstra. Those from the MIAA are familiar with that town. Yes.

Mr. Ehlers. I'd like to just comment on that.

To illustrate how difficult it is to impose solutions from above, many of you may recall Governor Pete Wilson of California making a big issue of reducing class size in California, adding a huge number of teachers.

The net effect was that they did add a large number of teachers, they did reduce class size, and approximately 100,000 teachers are uncertified in the State of California, because the teachers are simply not available.

So, it's fine to say, look, let's reduce class size and let's add teachers. There's a prior step you can't forget, and that's an extremely important step.

Chairman Hoekstra. Mr. Stobie?

Mr. Stobie. Just to follow up on that, the tremendous shortage of teachers also goes hand in hand with the tremendous shortage of administrators. That's one of the reasons I'm asking for the additional training, because we have so many young administrators now.

Mr. Ehlers. If I may add just one point, Mr. Chairman

There's a lot of debate in Washington about the President's proposal to add 100,000 new teachers, and I think it's ridiculous unless you say that what we are going to do is train 100,000 additional teachers first.

I know that's become a partisan issue, but I think you need some reality. You can't just say, let's add 100,000 and think that solves the problem.

Chairman Hoekstra. Peter.

Mr. McPherson. Like almost everything, this gets to be a complicated problem. In the State of Michigan, the colleges of education at the various universities and schools in the state are producing substantially more teachers in gross than there are new jobs. The problem is there are some sub-specialties, if you will, where there aren't surplus teachers, but in total we're exporting teachers in Michigan.

Now, I think that's not the end of the issue at all. It seems to me that we've got a number of steps that we need to do at Michigan State and around the state to be sure that the teachers we're producing are really outstanding. I support the fifth year program, and there's a number of other steps, but as you've suggested, we've got this tremendous opportunity over the next ten years.

Incidentally, there's parts of the state where it's harder to recruit. In some Detroit schools, it's harder to recruit teachers.

The governor has expressed a great deal of interest in this whole question, how we strengthen the education of teachers and Mark personally has been deeply involved in this.

Chairman Hoekstra. Yes, I think Mark wanted to say something.

Mr. Murray. I just wanted to make a comment that in our state budget we committed some significant resources to examine the question of teachers who've come in the last five years into the teaching profession. We are asking their employing districts and them, how well they were prepared, and not just in core academics, but in classroom management, and pedagogy child development. The goal, hopefully is that we'll be able to identify some best practice components from among the various colleges of education.

We face the challenge of training, not only in a certification or credential sense, but in a market sense; both self-assessment and assessment from the employer. We hopefully will learn something about what is best for teacher preparation, not just in traditional core academics, but in the whole issue of dealing with a range of children that one is really obliged professionally to help achieve their full potential.

Mr. Smith. In Michigan, we really are blessed with some of the greatest departments of education and we turn out a lot of teachers. Other parts of the country are even in a more difficult situation than we are in Michigan.

Mr. Chairman, if I can just have the opportunity of some time before we close, to thank you and Mr. Ehlers, the panel, and those attending today.

Chairman Hoekstra. I think Vern is ready to go.

Mr. Ehlers. Well, Mr. Chairman, I've learned that the only time Northwest Airlines is on time is when you are late.

Chairman Hoekstra. That's right.

Mr. Ehlers. So, we don't want to be late.

Chairman Hoekstra. All right. Thanks Nick, this has been a very good panel.

Thank you very much for being here, and it really reinforces some of the things that we've learned in some of the other Hearings that we've gone to. We've always invited students to testify, and there are lots of good things going on with America's young people today. Educating and providing them with opportunities, is a very complex issue.

Travis, you talked about equal opportunity. One of the most interesting things about the schools that we went into was, for example, one of the schools in Arkansas that is getting the highest test scores in the State of Arkansas. They spend less than $3,000.00 per child on their state stipend, and we asked the principal or the superintendent from that school district how come they are doing so well. He said, well, the reason we are doing so well is we can only do the basics. We don't do anything special, we just focus on core academics and we do the basics. They are turning out some of the best students in the State of Arkansas.

So, it's a very complex problem and a very complex issue. I think what we are hoping for from the testimony that we've received today is, regardless of the .01 percent to the12 percent that an individual school district, a state, a university, or a college gets, that the decisions about how the money is spent get made as close to the student as possible. That's really where the leverage point is. It's the teacher and the parent that know the student's name. It's the college administrator and the professor that know the background and share the dreams and the visions of that student. It's the principals that understand the needs, and the faculty that understands the needs of the community and the school body as a whole.

I think that at least the three of us up here trust you enough to give you the money and say, go for it! We are here to help, but we are here to get out of the way, and to facilitate you bringing excellence to your communities and to your constituencies.

Mr. Smith. And, Mr. Chairman, if you'll yield.

Chairman Hoekstra. Yes.

Mr. Smith. Also, Pete and I both serve on the budget committee we increased the spending level for education in several areas over the President's request. So, the priority is having enough money available, but still trying to assure that we maximize the efficient use of that money.

Chairman Hoekstra. The greatest increase in spending for K-12 education might be giving back the $.35 cents that we spend in Washington on bureaucracy and red tape, and getting rid of the red tape and saying spend it the way you want. It would be no additional tax dollars, and it would mean $.35 cents of every education dollar being in the classroom, rather than somewhere else.

Thank you very much. This has been very helpful. The Committee will be adjourned.

Whereupon, at 12:29 p.m., the Committee was adjourned.