Brady Supports Texas’ Higher Standards Over President’s National Testing Scheme

Congressman Kevin Brady today announced his opposition to President Clinton’s proposal to implement a federal education testing program for elementary and junior-high students. Citing Texas’ extensive use of student testing, Brady said, "Texas leads the nation in testing students. We know from experience that the farther from the classroom, the less effective the testing becomes. I choose the higher standards of community excellence over the lower one-size-fits-all approach in Washington."

Brady stressed that the president’s plan would divert money away from local classrooms and lead to expanded federal authority over state and local curriculum, without improving student performance. The plan would require 4th graders to be tested for reading skills and 8th graders tested for math skills.

Brady has indicated his strong support for H.R. 2264, an amendment by Rep. William Goodling, Chairman of the House Education and Workforce Committee, to prohibit federal funds from being used to develop national reading or mathematics tests.

"The president is swimming against the tide of local control and accountability. The evidence I’ve seen about improving student performance suggests that we do not need more federal spending or yet another federal program. By supporting national testing, the president is breaking his own pledge to the nation’s governors about more federal education spending.

In March of this year, President Clinton spoke to the National Governors’ Association about education. He said, "We cannot ask the American people to spend more on education until we do a better job with the money we’ve got now." Currently, the federal government funds more than 760 education programs which span 40 federal agencies, boards, and commissions. These programs cost taxpayers $100 billion annually. Brady also noted that the president’s proposal could lead to an expanded federal role in curricula development. In 1993 the Department of Education proposed a series of U.S. history standards. The project devolved into a much-publicized debate over political correctness. "Recent federal education experiments should serve as a reminder that Washington’s role in educating the children of the Eighth District is limited," said Brady. "When it comes to education, the formula that works best is local control and parental involvement."