Providing for Consideration of H.R. 5, Student Success Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. PETRI. I thank my colleague.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to express my support for the rule and the underlying bill, H.R. 5.

I am in frequent contact with educators in my district in Wisconsin. One of the concerns I hear the most is that Federal money comes to local schools and districts in a variety of funding streams, each with its own restrictions and reporting requirements. I am constantly asked if there's a way that we can consolidate some of these funding pots so that schools can better apply the funds to those areas where they will have the most effect. These feelings are strongest in smaller or more rural schools, where funding tends to be the most limited. H.R. 5 would give them that much-needed local flexibility.

Wisconsin schools are doing a lot of innovative things to prepare their students for success in the 21st-century economy. They know that the nature of work is changing: jobs in manufacturing, where Wisconsin is a leader, require critical thinking, the ability to be innovative and to work with people of varying skill levels, and the ability to communicate effectively. These skills were favorably noted in a 2012 National Research Council report and in a recent Gallup Poll that found that those who have those skills are twice as likely to have higher work quality than those who don't.

Wisconsin is a member of the Partnership for 21st Century Skills, a coalition of States, education groups, and employers that's working to ensure that students have these critical skills. I hear from educators that these innovative programs help to bring to life the subjects that students are studying in school, oftentimes renewing their focus on core academics. Again, I also hear that schools and districts are hamstrung by their inability to put Federal funds to use in these innovative ways. So I'm pleased that the Student Success Act, through its Local Academic Flexible Grant and in other ways, gives educators the flexibility to pursue these innovative initiatives at the local level.

I would also like to mention the subject of geography, which is a core academic subject under No Child Left Behind, but has never received the same level of support as other core academic subjects. The National Geographic Society has invested millions of its own dollars to help invest in the future of geographic education--a critical investment, given the importance of geography to our national and international well-being. It's critical that geography be on a level playing field with other core academic subjects. This bill accomplishes that goal by letting geography compete equally for funds to enhance the professional development of teachers in this critical subject.

I, again, want to emphasize my support for the rule and the underlying bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source