WALBERG SAYS NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND IS FAILING MICHIGAN STUDENTS, TEACHERS
A-PLUS ACT Press Conference
Washington, Sep 6 - U.S. Congressman Tim Walberg (R-MI), a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, delivered the following speech this morning on the House floor.
"No Child Left Behind originally sought to return some education policymaking authority to the states, but in its current form the legislation is a massive spending bill filled with federal mandates that increase the presence of federal bureaucrats in our classrooms.
"Today Michigan teachers are forced to adopt a teach to the test' mentality and spend valuable time on paperwork instead of with students.
"It has been estimated that teachers and school officials have spent an additional 6.7 million hours completing the cumbersome paperwork required by No Child Left Behind.
"As Congress considers the future of education policy in America, we must find a way to give our schools, communities and parents greater flexibility, reduce the bureaucracy involved in education and ensure the best educational opportunities really are being given to our children.
"Because I believe each child's educational path should be determined by a child's parents and not by the federal government, I am an original co-sponsor of the A-PLUS Act, an alternative education policy introduced this year in the House, and I urge my colleagues to take a look at this important legislation."