Current Events Affecting America

Floor Speech

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Ms. FOXX. Thank you, Congressman Gohmert, my classmate and friend. I appreciate very much you yielding time.

Mr. Speaker, last week, I had the opportunity to visit a remarkable public school in Kernersville, North Carolina. In addition to preparing students academically for college, the North Carolina Leadership Academy is publicly committed to giving their 400 students ``the opportunity to develop true leadership qualities and become creative thinkers and problem-solvers while retaining a sense of responsibility for their families, their community, and their country.''

NCLA has an ambitious mission, and they are executing it so well that last year this charter school had over 700 applicants for 95 openings. The wait list has over 600 names, and is growing.

It was a privilege to spend time with the remarkable students and faculty of NCLA. I was truly impressed by their commitment to scholarship, by the leadership skills of the students, and by the remarkable academic progress that was on display.

All NCLA students in grades 7-12 participate in Civil Air Patrol, a program established by Congress in 1946 that uses military-style uniforms, customs, courtesies, ceremonies, and drill in order to improve student leadership skills, fitness, and character. This program is working.

NCLA places a strong emphasis on family involvement; and the level of commitment demonstrated by parents, families, and the Piedmont community at large was impressive.

Community engagement is a key to success of any school, and the community's support for NCLA is a good reminder that decisions about the education of our youth should remain local.

I have been a strong supporter of charter schools for my entire legislative career. In the North Carolina State Senate, I supported charters as one of the best hopes to genuinely reform our school system.

In Congress, those of us who support charter schools should express that support by ensuring that Federal policy encourages States to adopt expansive charter laws.

Further, we need to ensure that Washington does not put up bureaucratic roadblocks that would keep State, city, and county governments from experimenting with new ideas and establishing effective charter school programs.

Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough about how impressed I was to spend time with the educators of the North Carolina Leadership Academy, individuals who seek daily to impress upon the students the values encapsulated in the school motto of ``Scholarship, Leadership, Citizenship.''

I expect many good things from the remarkable young scholar leaders currently being educated by this wonderful school. The community will reap the benefits of having this school in its midst for years to come.

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