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Improving Head Start Act Of 2007

Floor Speech

Date: May 2, 2007
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Unemployed and Low-Income Education


IMPROVING HEAD START ACT OF 2007 -- (House of Representatives - May 02, 2007)

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Mr. CUELLAR. Mr. Chairman, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Chairman, I rise today to encourage my colleagues to support my amendment to the Improving Head Start Act of 2007.

First of all, I would like to thank Chairman Miller, Ranking Member McKeon, Chairman Kildee and Ranking Member Castle for bringing this legislation to the floor.

Ensuring that Head Start continues to serve our communities is important to all of us. This straightforward amendment builds upon the strong foundation of this year's reauthorization. The reauthorization requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a study of Head Start students with limited English proficiency.

Studies have proven that the easiest time to learn a new language is when a child is young. With this in mind, early childhood is an important time for students with limited English proficiency to improve their grasp of the English language. Students who are fluent in multiple languages are better positioned to perform well in school.

The legislation requires studies of the progress limited English proficiency students make towards proficiency. The amendment that I offer simply asks that the assessment used to determine progress in the English language skill development be described.

The explanation of what is used is important for a couple of reasons. First, Head Start service providers will become more uniform in their instruction. If a description of assessment is not required, however, there may be a higher likelihood that it will become arbitrary.

Second, educators learn from the practices of their colleagues. By having all Head Start providers describe the assessments they use, meaningful information will be gathered to help educators get ideas and make better informed decisions about their own practices. Enhancing consistency and sharing methods are meaningful ways we can help students with limited English proficiency make the progress that they need to make.

My amendment is supported by the National Council of La Raza, the National Education Association, the Texas Migrant Council and the Texas Head Start Association. I urge my colleagues to support my amendment.

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