Education Policy

Floor Speech

(Mr. WALBERG asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. WALBERG. Mr. Speaker, No Child Left Behind originally sought to return some education policy-making authority to the States, but in its current form the legislation is a massive spending bill filled with Federal mandates that increases 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 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 in education and ensure the best educational opportunities 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 cosponsor of the A-PLUS Act, an alternative education policy introduced this year in the House. I urge my colleagues to support this important legislation.

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