College Access and Opportunity Act of 2005

COLLEGE ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITY ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - March 29, 2006)

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Ms. FOXX. Mr. Chairman, I thank the chairman, Majority Leader Boehner and the Education and Workforce Committee staff for their hard work on and dedication to the College Access and Opportunity Act.

For many reasons the United States must have a highly educated workforce. This legislation does just that by strengthening math, science and foreign language instruction. It includes incentives to recruit and better prepare more teachers in these critical areas.

Most importantly, to adhere to the initial purpose of the Higher Education Act of 1965, this bill further offers low-income and middle-income youth the opportunity to better themselves and their socioeconomic status through a variety of important reforms.

This bill repeals duplicative and unnecessary programs and removes barriers for a greater number of potential, not to mention current, students.

Two additional parts of the bill about which I am particularly excited are, one, protecting the privacy of students; and, two, helping TRIO programs better demonstrate their effectiveness and results.

In the committee markup, I was able to work with the chairman and staff to offer an amendment ensuring that a unit record database with students' personal information would not be allowed. Privacy of the individual is one of the main tenets on which our great Nation was founded.

I was also able to offer an amendment in committee that would improve and strengthen TRIO programs. As a former director of Upward Bound Special Services programs at a large State university in North Carolina, I know these programs firsthand and how they have helped many achieve their goals of a higher education. I am a believer in the TRIO programs, and that is why I am committed to making them stronger.

There is nothing in current law that provides a way for these programs to demonstrate their effectiveness. If we want to help these programs prove that they are doing all that we know they are, we must institute accountability measures so their purpose and effectiveness will not continue to be questioned.

As a former community college president, university administrator and instructor, I am deeply committed to our students and to seeing that they get the full value of their education. The bottom line is, this bill is much needed and provides greater access for those of lesser means who need it; and I am simply appalled at my colleagues on the other side of the aisle for the misrepresentation of this bill and the good things that it would do for the students of this country.

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