Date: 2012-04-25
Speaker: GEORGE MILLER (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: California

Education. obviously. is one of the most important ingredients. Its the best investment we make in terms of a return to the Treasury because of the increased productivity and success of the people who complete their education. The important factor here is that. when we think about this. we really have to develop a system where our students are engaged in a modern learning environment. where they have access to the technology. where they have access to resources outside of the traditional classroom. where their instructors. their teachers. have that kind of access so they can integrate their education into whats happening and into what these young people see as happening in the rest of the economy in the world around them. So we create that learning environment. and we can create that teaching environment by changing the way weve traditionally done things in this country. Weve looked at those that are highperforming. We look around the world and say. Where are those nations that are high performing? Where are those students who are doing the best? We look at whats taking place in those countries. and we see this partnership between communities and parents and students and teachers. working out recognizing that that school is a huge economic asset of that community. It may be the most important thing where parents and the community have that say. So thats what were trying to develop. Unfortunately. we havent been able to get the reform in the rewrite of No Child Left Behind yet in this Congress. It has been a number of years. We werent able to do it in the last Congress. But I want to thank the Obama administration and the Secretary of Education because. in recognizing the role that the ingredient of education plays in the economic recovery. theyve gone with the Race to the Top program and with the waivers program for those States. What theyre really saying is. if you want to take your State and go to the future. if you want to take your district and go to the future. we want to partner with you. What does that mean? That means that those Governors and those local superintendents of schools and those State superintendents of instruction are making a decision that they want to join in an effort to have internationally benchmarked standards and internationally benchmarked curriculum and assessments. Its no longer just filling in a bubble on a multiple choice. But because of the sophistication that weve learned in assessment. that we learned from the workplace. what we learned from employers. these students will be able to demonstrate the depth of their knowledge. their understanding. They will be richer. They will be better able to adapt to the needs of employers. They can go on and get a masters degree. or they can go on and get a college degree. or they can go on and get a doctorate degree. The fact of the matter is that the world of learning is changing dramatically. and I think that. while were bogged down here in partisan fights. unfortunately. the administration has struck out on a bold path. I think there are now 40 States that either have applied or are hoping to apply for waivers. There are 47 Governors who have said we should have internationally benchmarked standards in this country so that we know that. when our students are learning. theyre learning at the same level the students in Shanghai are learningor in Germany or in Finland or in Singapore or in Japanand thats the change thats possible. But the fact of the matter is that Congress has got to want to go along with that. The Governors are taking the lead. Theyre taking the lead. The big city mayors are taking the lead. They understand this in terms of your agenda. Congressman GARAMENDI. in making it in Americajobs in their communities. That educated workforce is the most important investment they can make. and for parents. its that good school. People always talk about remodeling their bathrooms or adding on a bedroom or landscaping the yard to add value to their homes. If you turn that into a highperforming school. youll add more value than anything else you could possibly do. The National Real Estate Association will tell you that the first question people ask is. What school will my children go to? What district is this in? We now have the ability and the capability. and in partnering up with the entire school staff. to dramatically improve the learning environment. the teaching environment. and the outcomes for all of our students. Thats the excitement. because this comes along at a time when America now realizes. yes. we thought after 1980. 1990 that we couldnt make anything in America. We now recognize that. and we now see foreign investment coming back to America. and weve got to have the talent ready to absorb that. So thank you again for this opportunity to integrate education into the Make It in America agenda. Obviously. I think it is the most important point. But as I talk to venture capitalists and to people in the hightech fields and in the biotech fields in our State and around the country. theyll just tell you over and over again that the workforce theyre looking for is a welleducated. adaptable. understanding workforce that can work with people all around the world now because you can sit in one room and work with people everywhere else in the world.