Our educational system is at a crossroads. As a parent of two children, I share every parent's desire to help our children achieve their goals by ensuring that they receive the best education possible. Congress will continue to provide federal funding to support local education. The debate at hand is whether the federal government or local school boards and parents know best how to educate our children. Some believe that the federal government knows best regardless of whether that student lives in Walla Walla or inner-city Los Angeles. I believe local school districts, teachers and parents know better.

This week, Congress passed bills which begin to return control of our children's education to those who are closest to them. H.R. 2, the Student Results Act of 1999 reauthorizes and reforms Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). When the ESEA was enacted in 1965, it was intended to narrow the achievement gap between low-income students and their upper-income peers. Unfortunately, 34 years later, that gap has widened. The original 32 page act is now over 1,000 pages long with over 60 programs. Despite the increase in federal government intrusion into our children's education, the ESEA has not improved academic achievements. Instead of giving states, local school districts and teachers new tools to help students, schools have been inundated with paperwork and had innovative programs blocked by federal regulations.

When President Johnson introduced the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, his goal was to "bridge the gap between helplessness and hope." The reforms contained in H.R. 2 focus on achieving that goal. The bill gives back to states and local school districts the ability to develop programs which improve results by focusing on quality, accountability, choice and flexibility. H.R. 2 gives states and local school districts the flexibility to develop innovative programs that focus on their students' needs, while holding them accountable to parents for student achievement rather than to the federal bureaucracy for compliance with paperwork requirements.

This week, Congress also debated H.R. 2300, the Straight A's Act. Straight A's builds on H.R. 2 by giving interested states and school districts increased flexibility when using federal education dollars. Straight A's allows states and school districts to consolidate federal ESEA funds and use them as they see fit. In return, states must show increased academic achievement through an accountability system which is desegregated by race, ethnicity, gender, English proficiency status and socioeconomic status. This will ensure that no student is left behind.

I believe that Congress must reevaluate the federal government's role in education if we hope to graduate students who are prepared for the challenges of the 21st century. Each school district should be able to review the needs of its students, allocate financial resources and develop programs accordingly without the federal government telling them how to do it. H.R. 2 and H.R. 2300 give states and local school districts the flexibility to develop programs that will allow our children to achieve their goals.

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