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106TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION S. 2

To extend programs and activities under the Elementary and Secondary

Education Act of 1965.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JANUARY 19, 1999

Mr. JEFFORDS (for himself, Mr. GREGG, Mr. LOTT, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. MACK,

and Mr. COVERDELL) introduced the following bill; which was read twice

and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

A BILL

To extend programs and activities under the Elementary

and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Educational Opportu5 nities Act’’.

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

7 Congress finds as follows:

8 (1) RETURNING CONTROL TO PARENTS.—Par9 ents have the primary responsibility for their chil-
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1 dren’s education. Parents are the first and best edu2 cators of their children. Congress supports proposals

3 which provide parents greater control to choose new

4 and unique opportunities to meet the educational

5 need of their children.

6 (2) SUPPORTING EXCEPTIONAL TEACHERS.—

7 Every child should have an exceptional teacher in

8 the classroom. Congress supports rewarding teachers

9 for their successful efforts. Congress also believes in

10 schools being more accountable to parents. Every

11 parent deserves to know if their child is being taught

12 by a teacher who is highly qualified.

13 (3) SAFER AND MORE SECURE.—Quality in14 struction and learning can only occur in a first class

15 school that is safe and orderly. No child can learn

16 when schoolyards attract random violence or class17 rooms are interrupted by disruptive behavior. Con18 gress supports proposals that give schools the tools

19 the schools need to protect teachers and students,

20 remove disruptive influences, and create a positive

21 learning atmosphere.

22 (4) DOLLARS TO THE CLASSROOM.—Congress

23 rejects a one-size-fits-all approach to education.

24 America’s rural schools often face challenges quite

25 different than their urban counterparts. Congress
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1 believes that students should be the primary bene2 ficiaries of educational spending. Congress supports

3 the goal of ensuring that the maximum amount of

4 Federal education dollars are spent directly in the

5 classrooms. State and local communities should have

6 the freedom to tailor their education plans and re7 forms according to the unique educational needs of

8 their children.

9 (5) BASIC ACADEMICS.—Success in education is

10 best achieved when instruction is focused on basic

11 academics and fundamental skills. Students should

12 no longer be subjected to untried and untested edu13 cational theories of instruction, rather our Nation’s

14 education efforts should be geared to proven meth15 ods of instruction.

16 SEC. 3. PURPOSE.

17 The purpose of this Act is—

18 (1) to put our Nation’s children first by creat19 ing first class schools because nothing is more im20 portant to the future of our Nation than the edu21 cation of its children;

22 (2) to give parents and local schools more con23 trol over their schools;
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1 (3) to make our Nation’s schools safe and se2 cure, and return to an emphasis on basic academic

3 and quality instruction; and

4 (4) to support those exceptional teachers who

5 make a difference in the lives of our Nation’s chil6 dren.

7 SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES.

8 The authorization of appropriations for, and the du9 ration of, each program or activity under the Elementary

10 and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 6301

11 et seq.) is extended through fiscal year 2004.

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