9418 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS May 25, 2000 education authority here and federalizing our finest schools in the world—schools held ac- thousands of Colorado students (with thou- schools are nonetheless powerful. countable to the parents who rightly demand sands more on waiting lists), charter schools ‘‘Before we continue spending more tax real results for their children. are public schools created through a contract, money trying to find a solution to [America’s Last October, Mr. Speaker, the House or charter, with local school agencies. They education] problem, maybe we need to under- passed important legislation providing states are open to all children. Colorado’s 68 charter stand the problem better,’’ said Joey Lopez of and local school districts more control and schools are afforded a high level of autonomy Ft. Collins, Colorado recently when he testified flexibility. Commonly known as ‘‘Straight A’s,’’ and flexibility over curriculum and operation in before Congress. A seventeen-year-old Ft. the Academic Achievement for All Act gives exchange for maintaining high standards for Collins High School senior, Lopez understands states the freedom to raise student academic student achievement and unique goals laid out what Americans intuitively know: It’s going to achievement through more flexibility in spend- in the charter. As founding parent of the Lib- take much more than cold hard cash to im- ing federal education funds. This bill is a giant erty Common School, a charter school in Fort prove our nation’s schools. It’s takes the inno- step in the right direction. Rather than relying Collins, I have personally experienced the vation, hard work, and committed leadership on Washington-based programs, Straight A’s positive results of a good charter school com- of parents, teachers, students, and elected of- give states and local school districts the free- munity. ficials everywhere. dom to focus resources on locally proven ef- Dr. Katherine Knox, headmaster of Liberty Mr. Speaker, most Coloradans agree with forts and solutions. Common School, recently testified before the Lopez. He typifies our independent, western This is the kind of reform Colorado and House Education Committee and underscored spirit which is among the chief reasons our every state needs and wants. In a letter to the importance of local autonomy. According state ranks well for its ongoing efforts to im- Congress, Gov. Owens stated, to Knox, prove education. Like other top-performing Colorado has schools that are blazing a Though we all want quality in funding, and states, including Texas, Michigan, Florida, and trail of change. More schools and states need accountability for results, we don’t want greater flexibility in their use of federal dol- strings attached that allow subtle and in- North Carolina, Colorado excels not just be- creasing federal direction and control of cause of the money it spends, but because of lars. As the father of three children who at- tend three different public schools, I am local schools. The momentum for charter its dedication to innovative and proven edu- proud to put my full support behind Straight schools comes locally, and the attitude and cation policies producing solid results for chil- A’s. This legislation will allow the diverse culture is positively different in a good char- dren. areas, schools and people of Colorado to de- ter school because of the local control. Where schools are concerned, Coloradans cide what they need most for their schools. Ensuring a successful and well-funded edu- have never been content to entertain trendy Placing more authority in the hands of local cation system in each of America’s fifty states national initiatives. Our history has rather per- school boards will also ensure more dollars is important in the nation’s effort to leave no suaded us America’s education challenges will end up in classrooms. Meanwhile, officials at child behind. But this laudable goal will never not be answered in Washington, D.C. by fed- the U.S. Department of Education have been be attained until we first remove the shackles eral agents who do not know the names of so busy devising and enforcing their various of an intrusive and unaccountable federal bu- Colorado’s principals and teachers, much less rules, and restrictions that they have failed to reaucracy indifferent to the needs of our chil- the names of the children. Enduring solutions account for the billions in precious tax dollars dren. Local control is our best hope for edu- are more likely to be found in diverse commu- entrusted to them to help promote education. cation excellence, Mr. Speaker. nities throughout each of America’s fifty states, As part of an ongoing effort to root out As a member of the United States Con- just as the U.S. Constitution suggests. waste, fraud, and abuse in federal govern- gress, I relish the chance to do everything That neither words ‘‘education’’ nor ‘‘public ment, my colleagues and I on the Education within my elected capacity to ensure every schools’’ are mentioned anywhere in the Con- Committee have uncovered evidence of wide- child in America has access to the best edu- stitution is a fact that surprises many, Mr. spread financial mismanagement at the De- cation possible. My primary guide will continue Speaker. Responsibility for educating Amer- partment of Education. Eight months behind to be the common-sense opinions of Colo- ican youngsters was deliberately and wisely schedule, the department last November re- radans, our home-spun western orientation for reserved to the states and to the people—and leased a financial report in which its auditors quality, and our abundant love for our families. it still is. determined the agency’s 1998 books were not These are the important components of a suc- America’s Founders understood well the auditable. In other words, the department cessful free-market education system estab- value of a locally controlled framework of could not account for how it managed its $120 lished and championed by the great state of schools, and the perils of a federally co-opted billion budget that year. Colorado. one. They knew it was better to have deci- At an investigative hearing on Capitol Hill in f sions made independently by the several March, we also found, amount other things, HONORING THE INGLEWOOD UNI- states, each free to innovate and duplicate evidence the department violated the Credit FIED SCHOOL DISTRICT OF successful methods rather than subsist under Reform Act by hoarding $2.7 billion in edu- INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA one mandate for all. cation funds improperly in an internal account. Following decades of increasing federal In addition, we’re currently monitoring an on- meddling in our local schools, Americans have going Justice Department investigation of a HON. MAXINE WATERS OF CALIFORNIA learned all to well how perceptive our Found- computer and electronic equipment theft ring IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ers were. Since 1980, for example, the federal operating within the department. government has funneled over $400 billion Mr. Speaker, such widespread and chronic Wednesday, May 24, 2000 through the U.S. Department of Education bu- mismanagement is clearly not in the best in- Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, it is with ex- reaucracy. Unfortunately, the percentage of terest of our children. That is why in March the treme pride that I come to the floor of the money actually making it back to classrooms House unanimously passed legislation I au- House of Representatives today. I want to is far less. thored directing the General Accounting Of- share the fantastic accomplishments of some Coupled with the modest amount of federal fice—the federal government’s financial inves- of my constituents—the students, parents, funds local schools receive each year is a tigative arm—to conduct a comprehensive teachers, administrators and school board rep- mountain of red tape, regulation, and costly fraud audit of the Department of Education. resentatives of the Inglewood Unified School unfunded mandates foisted upon each public Students, parents, teachers, and schools all District in Inglewood, California. school administrator. Washington provides suffer when scarce resources are lost in the A recent Los Angeles Times article, about seven percent of an average school’s bureaucracy instead of invested properly in ‘‘Inglewood Writes the Book on Success: It’s budget, yet the amount of contingent paper- education. It is past time for Congress to end Elementary Schools Draw Experts Studying work and compliance burdens requires an es- such waste and abuse and force the Depart- How Poor, Minority Kids Get Test Scores as timated 48.6 million hours of paperwork each ment of Education to place the interests of High as Beverly Hills’: Keys Include Phonics, year. America’s schoolchildren first. Constant Testing, Intensive Teacher Training’’ A growing number of my colleagues in Con- Mr. Speaker, Colorado is doing just that. by Duke Helfand highlights the phenomenal gress are of the opinion that empowering One of our state’s most innovative and suc- educational achievements by Inglewood’s stu- states and local communities is the surest way cessful efforts has been the creation and pro- dents. The article extensively chronicles the to help states reestablish for themselves the motion of charter schools. Currently benefiting success of this urban school district.

VerDate jul 14 2003 13:56 Sep 16, 2004 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 9920 E:\BR00\E25MY0.000 E25MY0 May 25, 2000 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 9419 The article explains that Inglewood’s Ele- That success seems attributable to reforms from those measures are just now moving mentary school students, 98% of whom are that feature an intensive focus on basic read- into the middle schools. African-American and Latino, have scores on ing skills, constant testing to detect stu- Those reforms began to take root in the district three years ago under the late Supt. the Stanford 9 educational test in the top half dents who fall behind and relentless teacher training. The model was perfected at two McKinley M. Nash. Wanting to duplicate the of the list of all California school districts. campuses that eschewed bilingual education success of Kelso and Bennett-Kew, he pressed These students are not considered the and social promotion when both were pop- the other elementary schools to embrace ‘‘norm,’’ the majority qualify for school lunch ular, and that stuck with basic phonics when their techniques and programs. programs, have learned English as a second the rest of the state turned to a ‘‘whole lan- SCHOOLS ADOPT SAME READING PROGRAM language and are being taught by a 45% guage’’ approach to reading. Officials say a crucial reform had each uncredentialed elementary school teacher ‘‘You don’t have to be white and rich to school adopt the Open Court reading pro- force. These students are defying all of the learn,’’ said Nancy Ichinaga, principal at gram, which uses heavily scripted lessons rules governing poverty, parental achievement Bennett-Kew Elementary, one of the dis- that combine phonics drills, writing exer- trict’s top-performing schools, along with cises and children’s literature. The lessons and educational attainment. Kelso Elementary. An educational environment exists where dictate virtually every detail of daily in- Kelso earned a 10 and Bennett-Kew a 9 on struction. the administrator defied the state educational the state’s new accountability index, which Some teachers complained that Open Court guidelines and stuck to the basics—phonics ranks schools from 1 to 10 on the basis of robbed them of creativity in the classroom. drills, writing exercises and children’s lit- their Stanford 9 test scores. In all, eight of Others protested what they believed was a erature. The schools did not follow the move the district’s 13 elementary schools ranked one-size fits-all approach for children with a toward bilingual education and continued among the top half of campuses in the state, range of abilities. They argued that it was teaching in English only, according to the arti- shattering the crippling link between pov- particularly unsuitable for students new to cle. The administrators involved the parents in erty and low academic performance. English. Decades of research have shown that in- But the schools pushed ahead, significantly their child’s education, keeping in mind the come and family background are the surest boosting training for teachers in Open Court. parent is a child’s first educator. predictors of academic achievement. Stu- Each campus designated a ‘‘reading coach’’— Inglewood elementary schools have shat- dents from low-income homes where parents essentially a master teacher to show the oth- tered the myths about poverty and education. have limited education consistently earn ers how to use the reading program. The I an excited to be here today to share that fact lower grades and test scores. Race and eth- coaches have been funded with nearly $2 mil- with my colleagues. Public schools work. The nicity are also closely associated with per- lion in grants from the Packard Humanities level they have reached is the level we expect formance, with black and Latino students Institute, a Los Altos, Calif., foundation that from all our children regardless of where it is lagging well behind whites and Asians. has spent about $45 million to install reading coaches in 28 California school districts they happen to live. In Inglewood, educational The achievement gap between poor and af- fluent, as well as white and minority, has using Open Court. excellence is the norm. long been the glaring failure of public edu- The coaches have helped solidify the new In today’s news, we usually only hear about cation. Since President Lyndon Johnson reading program in Inglewood’s elementary problem situations with our young people. We launched his Great Society programs in the classrooms, where nearly one in two instruc- often do not hear enough about the hard work 1960s, the federal government has pumped tors holds an emergency credential. of the majority of our own constituents. We do billions of dollars into schools that serve the Ingelwood educators also introduced ‘‘pac- not hear the success stories of the young peo- poorest children. Nonetheless, the gulf has ing schedules’’ in the primary grades to en- sure that teachers in every class covered the ple, their parents, teachers and administrators. persisted. Inglewood’s campuses fit the profile of same reading lessons at about the same I am pleased to be able to share this exciting time. The idea, patterned after the practice success story with you. I thank Mr. Helfand, schools that usually fail. They are among the most disadvantaged in the state when it at Kelso and Bennett-Kew, was to ensure Los Angeles Times Staff Writer, for writing this comes to student poverty, lack of English that students at every school consistently informative article. I have attached a copy of skills, numbers of uncredentialed teachers acquired the same skills. the complete article for inclusion at this time. and other obstacles associated with low per- Schools also began testing their students Congratulations, Inglewood Unified School formance, a Times study of state data shows. every six to eight weeks in spelling, vocabu- District! You have made us all proud. Continue Nearly three-fourths of Inglewood elemen- lary and other skills in the same way that Kelso and Bennett-Kew had done for several to keep up the excellent academic achieve- tary students qualify for subsidized lunches, the leading measure of poverty among years. Teachers began poring over the data ments you have begun. We are a better com- together to identify lagging students and to munity for your accomplishments. schoolchildren. More than one-third are not fluent in English. Latinos and African Amer- refine their practices. ‘‘There’s little wiggle room to fall through [From the Los Angeles Times, April 30, 2000] icans account for 98% of the students. Forty- the cracks,’’ said Betty Jo Steward, prin- INGLEWOOD WRITES THE BOOK ON SUCCESS; ITS five percent of the elementary school teach- cipal of Highland Elementary School, which ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS DRAW EXPERTS ers have not completed their training and earned a rank of 8 on the state index, even STUDYING HOW POOR, MINORITY KIDS GET hold emergency credentials. though more than two-thirds of its teachers TEST SCORES AS HIGH AS BEVERLY HILLS’: But the elementary schools earned an av- are uncredentialed. Highland switched to KEYS INCLUDE PHONICS, CONSTANT TESTING, erage rank of 6.2 on the state’s account- Open Court five years ago, ahead of the other INTENSIVE TEACHER TRAINING ability scale and an average raw score of campuses. ‘‘It’s made a tremendous dif- (By Duke Helfand) 654—exceeding the state median of 630. Dis- ferences,’’ Steward said. It is an axiom of education that the best tricts with similar socioeconomic character- Inglewood’s elementary schools have be- public schools are found in affluent suburbs. istics earned far lower scores. For example, come urban laboratories for educators and Parents shopping for a top-tier campus, how- El Monte’s elementary schools scored an av- researchers. Several of the state’s largest ever, might want to take note of a more erage 125 points lower on the accountability urban school systems—including those in urban exception—Inglewood. index and Montebello schools trailed by 166 Burbank, Riverside and Oakland—have sent The city’s elementary schools, many lo- points. delegations to study Ingelwood’s classrooms. cated under the landing path of Los Angeles ‘‘It’s impressive that virtually all of The Los Angeles Unified School District is International Airport, are filled with poor Inglewood’s elementary schools performed among the latest to send observers. In July, students who qualify for free lunches and better than expected,’’ said Kim Rueben, a the district will begin introducing Open who learn English as their second language. research fellow at the Public Policy Insti- Court and reading coaches in most of its ele- Yet they have leaped to the top ranks of tute of California who reviewed the test mentary schools. California’s new Academic Performance scores as part of a broader statewide study of ‘‘Anything Inglewood can do, Compton or Index, defying the rule that equates poverty academic achievement. ‘‘I think we should Los Angeles can do—we are not unique,’’ said and minority status with low achievement in try to take lessons from the district.’’ Marge Thompson, Kelso’s principal of 25 the classroom. Inglewood’s middle and high schools do not years until her retirement in February. She Inglewood’s elementary students—vir- show the same level of success. The city’s still visits regularly to help train teachers. tually all Latino or African American—have two middle schools registered 3s on the ac- Ingelwood’s schools are among a group of produced Stanford 9 test scores that equal countability index, with an average score of campuses around the country that are gain- levels found in more upscale cities. In some 526, well below the state median. Its two high ing attention in education ranks for pro- cases, the Inglewood schools register math schools bottomed out with 1s, with an aver- ducing solid results with low-income and mi- scores surpassing those in largely white en- age score of 441. Officials say that the bulk of nority students. claves of affluence such as Irvine, Malibu recent reforms have concentrated on the pri- ‘‘People need to make the study of schools and Beverly Hills. mary grades and that students who benefited like those in Ingelwood the single highest

VerDate jul 14 2003 13:56 Sep 16, 2004 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR00\E25MY0.000 E25MY0 9420 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS May 25, 2000 priority in the country,’’ said Samuel Casey ‘‘If we took the simple step of assuring tary School, which earned a state rank of 8 Carter, a researcher at the Heritage Founda- that poor and minority children had teachers with nearly half the students still learning tion in Washington, D.C., who included Ben- of the same quality as other children, about to speak English. ‘‘You get what you ex- nett-Kew in a new book about 21 impressive half of the achievement gap would dis- pect.’’ campuses that serve low-income children. appear,’’ said Kati Haycock, director of the That message literally surrounds the stu- Carter found that the successful schools Education Trust, a Washington, D.C.-based dents in Barbra Williams’ fourth-grade class- shared common practices and features such organization that monitors student achieve- room at Hudnall. as an emphasis on basic skills, strong prin- ment in low-income communities. Mock graduation caps with black tassels cipals, frequent testing and assessment, and ‘‘If we went further and assigned our best hang from the ceiling. Each has the name of continuous teacher training. teachers to the students who most need an elite university scrawled in white letters ‘‘There is nothing these schools do that is them, there’s persuasive evidence to suggest on the back: Stanford, Harvard, Yale, beyond the reach of any school in America,’’ that we could entirely close the gap,’’ Princeton. he said. Haycock added. The walls carry similar messages. A sign What Carter found at Bennett-Kew were But the reality is that urban schools serv- on one wall ways, ‘‘ENGLISH MAJORS students like Omir Perez. ing the neediest students tend to have the EXCEL,’’ in big black letters, with student Omir’s first language is Spanish; both of greatest proportion of novices leading their reports stapled to the wall. A sign on an- his parents were born in Belize. His family classrooms. other wall ways, ‘‘MATH MASTERS’’; the lives on about $18,000 a year. Yet the Ben- Ingelwood fits the pattern: 45% of its ele- wall features colored pictures of sliced pizzas nett-Kew fifth-grader has produced Stanford mentary school teachers hold emergency that the students created to demonstrate 9 test scores that would please any parent: credentials. Only six of California’s 1,000 fractions. The banner on a third wall ways, the 73rd percentile in math, the 80th in read- school districts have higher percentages of ‘‘SOCIAL STUDIES SCHOLARS.’’ ing, the 97th in spelling. teachers without full credentials. But Williams requires all of her students to ‘‘Education gets you a good job sooner or Inglewood has overcome inexperience by lit- write essays at the end of the year about uni- later,’’ said Omir, who wants to be an airline erally molding its own talent and taking the versities they will attend, and to select ma- pilot. guesswork out of teaching. jors they plan to study. Students are encour- Omir’s record already is paying dividends. aged to collect admissions packets in the MAKING NEWCOMERS COMPETENT TEACHERS He won a scholarship next year to the exclu- course of their research. sive Chadwick School on the Palos Verdes The district has found a way to turn green ‘‘I tell them. ‘You have to go to a really Peninsula, along with four other Bennett- newcomers such as Andrew Gin into com- good college. You have to get good grades, Kew students who had equally high marks. petent instructors. Gin arrived at Payne Ele- good test scores. You have to get in the habit The $11,600 tuition is nearly two-thirds of mentary School two years ago, after fleeing of taking it seriously,’ ’’ said Williams, 25, a what Omir’s father, a machinist, earns in a an unhappy career as a stock analyst for in- graduate of UC Irvine. ‘‘I want to instill in year. vestment firms in Los Angeles. He brought them that these universities are out there. ‘‘We had a lot of people praying for this,’’ enthusiasm, energy and a desire to work Some of these students don’t hear that or said Omir’s mother, Isabel, who like her hus- with children—but zero job skills. ‘‘I didn’t haven’t thought about it. When I ask them band speaks English and is a naturalized know where to begin,’’ he recalled. about colleges, they mention El Camino or U.S. citizen. ‘‘It’s a blessing.’’ At Payne, Gin was handed the Open Court Southwest two local community colleges.’’ Omir is bright and studious, and his par- reading program and a thick teacher’s man- Nine-year-old La Tijera Avery has already ents make his education their top priority. ual that told him what skills to teach every picked her university. It’s Stanford. But his marks are hardly exceptional. ‘‘We day, even when to praise his second-graders. ‘‘I want to grow up to be a great doctor have 20 kids in the fifth grade like Omir,’’ ‘‘It was a godsend,’’ he said, ‘‘like a huge who helps people who get stick,’’ said La Ichinaga said. outline.’’ Tijera, who earns mostly as an impressive Meanwhile, Gin became a student in this CLOSING A STUBBORN ACHIEVEMENT GAP Standard 9 test scores—the 62nd percentile own school. Payne’s teachers became his in reading and the 85 percentile in math. Ingelwood’s schools are succeeding at clos- mentors. La Tijera’s mothers, La Tasha Holden, is ing a stubborn achievement gap that Principal Georgia Leynaert began visiting thrilled with her daughter’s progress. When emerges as early as age 3—even before chil- Gin’s classroom regularly to teach him tech- the family moved across Inglewood a few dren enter school. Children from poor fami- niques for engaging students. Two senior years ago, Holden purposely kept La Tijera lies arrive in the classroom with less expo- teachers met with Gin at lunch and after at Hudnall. The philosophy of the school, she sure to books and smaller vocabularies than school, showing him how to design lesson believed, reflected the values she teaches at their more affluent peers. plans and giving him tips on games that en- home. That gap widens the most during the ele- courage learning, such as math bingo. A ‘‘My kids are going to college if I have to mentary years but persists through high reading coach helped demonstrate Open give every penny I have or sell my house,’’ school and college—showing up in grades, Court. Holden said. test scores, graduation rates and other meas- ‘‘Whenever I need something clarified or STRONG LEADERSHIP SEEN AS CRUCIAL ures of achievement. explained, I know where to go,’’ said Gin, 33, Ultimately, it affects students’ earning who is working toward his credential at Cal When educators speak about school reform, power as adults. State L.A. they inevitably seize on the issue of leader- The most recent round of national tests— More than half of Payne’s teachers have ship. High-performing campuses, the experts in 1998—demonstrated the scope of the di- emergency credentials. Still, in a school say, are led by able principals who firmly vide. where 87% of the students qualify for sub- manage, show a keen ability to motivate Among fourth-graders 39% of whites and sidized lunches and 72% speak limited teachers, set unambiguous goals and estab- 37% of Asians met the ‘‘proficient’’ level in English, Payne earned a rank of 7 on the lish a serious academic tone. reading on the National Assessment of Edu- state’s new accountability index, placing it Two of the lowest-performing elementary cational Progress. That meant that the stu- among the top third of elementary schools in schools in Ingelwood have faced regular dents demonstrated competence over chal- California. turnover among top administrators. Lane, a lenging subject matter. ‘‘If you hire right, then inexperience kindergarten through eighth-grade school By contrast, just 13% of Latinos and 10% of doesn’t have to be a negative,’’ Leynaert that earned a 3 on the state’s accountability African Americans met the proficiency said. ‘‘You hire people who are going to be index, has had eight principals in 10 years, standard. good. Then you give them structure so that said the latest administrator to hold that po- African American and Latino 12th-graders no teacher is left out there alone.’’ sition. had fallen so far behind by the end of high Since taking over at Lane 21⁄2 years ago, school that they performed at about the DRIVEN BY HIGH EXPECTATIONS Principal Adrienne Jackson has replaced same level in reading as white and Asian Payne and the other schools also are driv- about half her staff and opened a school li- eighth-graders, the nationwide test scores en by high expectations, an intangible qual- brary for the first time in years. Lane’s read- revealed. ity that shapes the culture of their cam- ing test scores have improved an average of A growing number of experts argue that puses. eight point during her tenure. more experienced and qualified teachers are Teachers reject the idea that their stu- None of the administrators has done the the key to reversing the trend. dents are destined for mediocrity because job as successfully as Ichinaga and Thomp- Studies in Texas, North Carolina and other they are poor or speak limited English. In- son, the longtime principals of Bennett-Kew states have found that competent teachers— stead, they demand that students meet the and Kelso, respectively those who earn high test scores themselves state’s academic standards. Both have made careers of bucking the and have a deep knowledge of the subjects ‘‘If you set high expectations for children, educational establishment. they teach—produce higher-achieving stu- they generally rise to the occasion,’’ said Ichinaga and Thompson began using Open dents. Norma Baker, principal of Hudnall Elemen- Court in the mid-1980s, and stuck with it

VerDate jul 14 2003 13:56 Sep 16, 2004 Jkt 079102 PO 00000 Frm 00013 Fmt 0689 Sfmt 0634 E:\BR00\E25MY0.000 E25MY0 May 25, 2000 EXTENSIONS OF REMARKS 9421 even as phonics was being phased out in Cali- MAIN STREET POOCH was not doing well. I took him home to my fornia. They hewed to scripted math pro- wife who ‘‘talked’’ to him. He told her he was grams that stressed basic computational in pain and that it was time. She gave him skills, even as the state moved to more ex- HON. GEORGE MILLER medication to ease his pain. OF CALIFORNIA perimental approaches. As he wagged his tail and held his tennis IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ball in his mouth, we held him close, and Dr. Both also required their teachers to give Wednesday, May 24, 2000 Adams eased him into the world where his regular student assessments, and they per- puppyhood friends, RJ and Morgan, waited sonally analyzed the results, a previously Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California. Mr. for him at the Rainbow Bridge. unheard-of practice that is only now gaining Speaker, the people of Martinez, California, His tennis balls are still scattered around currency in schools. lost a great friend and a fixture in the commu- the house. Not to tell us he is coming back, In addition, both long ago said no to social nity with the death of Charlie, the beloved but to tell us he will always be with us. promotion, holding back failing kinder- golden retriever and member of the Ross fam- Thanks to all of Charlie’s friends who have been so supportive and kind. And to you, for gartners in ‘‘junior first’’ classes that pro- ily. Mr. Speaker, the relationship between vide an extra year of phonics practice. letting us share our loss. Gene Ross and his dog, Charlie, was wonder- GENE ROSS, Martinez. And both rejected bilingual education two ful to behold. They went everywhere together. decades before California voters officially Whether Gene was running in the hills of Al- f ended the practice in 1997. hambra Valley or the trails of the Sierra Moun- RECOGNITION OF THE SALT RIVER ‘‘I didn’t believe in bilingual education, tains above the Tahoe Basin, Charlie was al- PROJECT AS A LOCAL LEGACY and my parents were dead set against it,’’ ways at his side. And if you walked or ran with said Thompson, a former first-grade teacher them, you could listen to their constant con- HON. JOHN B. SHADEGG in Inglewood. ‘‘I didn’t need a job bad enough versation. OF ARIZONA to violate my ethics.’’ During summer vacations at Donner Lake, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES For Inchinaga, the decision grew out of Charlie would dive into the chilly water where personal experience: She was reared in a Jap- others were timid. He especially loved it when Wednesday, May 24, 2000 anese-speaking home on a Hawaiian sugar the kids were in the water, so he could look Mr. SHADEGG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to cane plantation but attended schools that after them and swim with them. As friends and applaud the inclusion of the Salt River Project taught in English. ‘‘My kids come to school family gather for the upcoming traditional in the Local Legacies Program of the Library much like I was, with very little English,’’ Fourth of July festivities at the Ross cabin, this of Congress. I nominated the Salt River she said. year will be different. This year just before the Project for this honor because of the pivotal These principals’ methods, and the sta- fireworks start, we will not kid Gene as he role which it has played in the growth of the bility they brought, are reflected in test talks to Charlie to calm him down about the City of Phoenix and Central Arizona. This scores. fireworks and then puts him in the bedroom nomination was a natural decision for me: my The average Kelso second-grader reached with the radio on so he won’t be frightened at father Stephen Shadegg wrote several books the 71st percentile in reading and the 79th the explosions. In all those years together on the Salt River Project, including its first nar- percentile in math on last year’s Stanford 9. Gene could never convince Charlie not to be rative history in 1942, and subsequent works The scores are comparable to the district av- afraid of the fireworks. erage for second-grader in Irvine on the importance of the Project to Arizona’s Mr. Speaker, downtown Martinez and all the development. These books include: Arizona: The scores mean that the students were in friends of Gene and Marge Ross are going to An Adventure in Irrigation (1949), The Phoenix the top echelons of test-takers nationwide. miss both Charlie and the special relationship Story: An Adventure in Reclamation (1958), Thompson and Ichinaga are a contrast in that they enjoyed. Following is a letter that and Century One: One Hundred Years of styles. While she was principal, Thompson Gene wrote that was published in our local Water Development (1969). was a quiet force on campus, personally paper: In 1868, Phoenix had a population of 100 training her teachers and parents while people; it is now the sixth largest metropolitan keeping a low public profile. Ichinaga is an [From the Contra Costa Times, May 2000] outspoken advocate for her methods and a MAIN STREET POOCH WON’T BE FORGOTTEN area in the United States. All of this growth master at delegating authority to her best DEAR GARY: On Monday we suffered the was made possible by the development of teachers. loss of our believed golden retriever, Charlie. water storage and irrigation facilities and, Charlie was a fixture on Main Street in since 1903, the Salt River Project has played ‘‘I’m dismayed that so many people still Martinez. He went to work with me every a central role in this development. believe if you’re a minority by color or lan- day for 14 years and had so many people that guage, you’re at a disadvantage,’’ Ichinaga In a desert state like Arizona, access to a loved him. This is our way of letting them reliable supply of water is literally a matter of said. ‘‘I don’t believe that for a minute. We know about him. have to get rid of that mentality.’’ Last Friday, Dr. Ruth Adams, our veteri- life and death. The early settlers recognized Ichinaga’s campus has drawn more atten- narian, diagnosed Charlie with a fast-grow- this fact and constructed the first of many tion in recent years because of the visible ing bone cancer. There was no hope of saving water supply canals in Phoenix in 1868. These role she has taken in education reform. She him, only of keeping him happy for the few early canals relied on diverting water from the sat on the task force that helped draft Gov. remaining days. rivers but did not include the construction of Gray Davis’ education agenda shortly after Charlie loved greeting visitors to our of- dams to create water storage reservoirs. This he was elected two years ago, and she is reg- fice, visiting with clients (as long as they failure to store water proved to be a fatal flaw ularly invited to speak at education con- didn’t try to sit in ‘‘his’’ chair) and going down Main Street with me to take care of when drought hit in the 1890’s. For three ferences. Davis appointed her this year to business. He brought a smile to everyone’s years, there was no rain and the rivers ceased the State Board of Education. face. to run. The population of Phoenix plummeted Although Bennett-Kew has received more He ran in Briones Park with our running and conflicts, some of them deadly, erupted acclaim, Kelso, a year-around school, has group, Rob, Peter, Paul and myself, for 14 over the limited water available. quietly assumed the top rank in the district. years. His excitement over our long runs This devastating drought forced the citizens One reason, Thompson and Kelso’s teachers never altered. If we ran 10 miles, he ran at of Phoenix to band together and create an or- say, is that all students are invited to take least 15, always checking back to make sure ganization capable of financing, constructing, classes during their vacation breaks for a we weren’t lost. and operating a water storage and delivery few hours a day. Up to two-thirds of her stu- He loved hiking in the Sierra, swimming in dents return, meaning they literally attend Donner Lake and cheering on our bocce system. It required the highest degree of per- school all year long. team. His energy was boundless. sonal commitment: each property owner in the He talked, really ‘‘talked’’ to my wife, Phoenix area pledged his or her property as ‘‘We’re committed to overturning percep- Margie, every night to let her know how our tion in education—that so-called low socio- collateral to finance the construction of the day at the office went. And always with two system. In 1903, this organization took shape economic children can’t learn.’’ said Linda or three tennis balls in his mouth. Stevenson, a longtime Kelso teacher who He let our two little grand-daughters cud- as the Salt River Water Users’ Association, was the first to use Open Court at school. dle and climb on him with such patience. now a part of the Salt River Project, and be- ‘‘Of course, they can learn. We’re here to On Monday he went to the office with me came the first water storage system organized prove it.’’ for the last time. By noon I could see that he under the Federal Reclamation Act.

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