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Guest Commentary: August 22, 2001
Yes, More Teachers - Yes, More Books
The Honorable Jo Ann Emerson
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Although I welcome the month of August because it allows me to come home and work in the District, August has always been the month that strikes fear in the hearts of our children. After all, even though it seems just a few weeks ago that they were singing, "no more teachers no more books..." August is the month that students throughout Missouri (gasp!)-- go back to school!
As a parent, I remember sending my kids back to school with the basics -- sharpened pencils and a new binder -- so they could learn the basics -- reading, writing and math. But today, too often we hear that students aren't learning the basics. Instead we hear that test scores are down, it is harder to attract teachers into teaching, schools aren't safe, and children are leaving school less prepared to face the challenges awaiting them in life.
In response, the President unveiled and Congress passed an education package that, as the President says, "focuses on systems that do work, (one) that heralds our teachers and makes sure they've got the necessary tools to teach, but one that says every child can learn."
Part of making sure those tools are available starts with making sure schools have the funding they need to do their job -- something sorely missing in rural America.
A study by the National Center for Educational Statistics found that while 46 percent of America's public schools serve rural areas, they receive only 22 percent of the nation's education funds.
In the Education bill, Congress authorized $300 million for a rural initiative that is designed to address the special education needs in rural America. The funding would be made available through block grants and states can then divide the money among the schools or make it available through competitive grants. Funding can then be used for teacher recruitment, salaries, training, technology, and for academic enrichment programs.
This would help level the playing field and allow schools like the one in Eminence, which is lacking adequate instructional space and ventilation systems, to make changes and improve the quality of life and learning for its students and teachers.
But teachers and students won't have the tools if they do not have the flexibility to use those tools. For too many years, Washington's answer to education challenges has been a one-size-fits-all solution. What works in St. Louis doesn't work in Sullivan, and the needs in Kansas City are far different than the needs of students and teachers in Cooter.
Instead, I believe the answers to the tough questions facing our education system are those developed locally, by people who care and know more about their school district and its students than anyone a hundred or a thousand miles away. Parental involvement and local educators who take an active role are the best formula for success in local schools.
Finally, schools must be safe so that teachers can teach and students can learn. The President's plan supports drug and violence prevention. From making funding available for after-school programs to empowering teachers to remove violent and disruptive students from the classroom, the plan provides assurance to parents so they know that when they drop their children off at school, they will be safe and free from danger.
It is our job to be sure all our children get a place at life's starting line, and I am hopeful that as students return to school and my colleagues and I return to Congress (where the House and Senate will meet to work out the differences in our respective Education bills) all parties involved will realize that every child deserves an opportunity to receive a top quality education.
Note: Rep. Emerson writes a weekly column; the above is adapted from the August 10, 2001 issue.
 How to contact Representative Jo Ann Emerson (R-MO)
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