Fattah Applauds Landmark Advances for Education

WASHINGTON, March 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), chairman of the Congressional Urban Caucus, today celebrates historic investment in student loans, college access and degree completion as well as advances toward broad education reform by the Obama Administration.

"There is too much passivity about how and when reform should arrive at failing schools," Fattah said. "I stand with President Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan that we must move ahead aggressively to fix these failings that are holding back our most underserved young people in urban and rural schools across America."

Fattah this morning addressed the Council of the Great City Schools at the annual legislative and policy conference in Washington, where he quoted Dr. Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" about the danger of passivity when a broken, unjust system must be changed. He followed Duncan, who addressed the Council Sunday, and was introduced by Philadelphia Schools Superintendent Dr. Arlene Ackerman.

Congressman Fattah has been busy around Washington speaking about his priorities for education and the successes of the past year -- four addresses to national education forums in the past two days.

"These are exciting times for education from pre-school to graduate school," said Fattah, author of GEAR UP, the most successful national program for college readiness and awareness of underserved students. "The federal government, under President Obama's leadership, is stepping up in a big way to knock down the inequities in education resources and opportunities for our young people most in need of help. His Education Blueprint released this month is the most forceful plan yet for fixing our nation's schools."

Fattah today cited a report just released by the Council of the Great City Schools, showing that students in urban schools have registered significant improvement in math and reading proficiency tests. "We are making real progress in the core subjects that underserved students in our major cities need to succeed," he said. "But much still needs to be done."

Fattah voted just before midnight Sunday for a far-reaching budget bill that includes landmark investment in college access and completion, specifically the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act.

The bill, which will be considered by the Senate starting Tuesday under rules that require a simple majority, includes $36 billion to increase the popular Pell college scholarship grants, $2.55 billion for historically black colleges and universities and minority serving institutions and $2 billion for community college career training programs. 

Fattah, in remarks to the Council of the Great City Schools, praised the success of education aid in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act as well as the importance of early learning and supporting brain development in very young children, his initiative to expand access to school nutrition in high-poverty schools and the need to focus on resource equity in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization.

Fattah also participated in the Congressional Roundtable on Hispanic Literacy teleconference, with Congressman Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), hosted by the University of Texas-Pan American. He spoke to education professionals from south Texas about the need to support families and communities in early literacy, the importance of investing in the potential of all children, and the success of GEAR UP in preparing students for high school graduation and college enrollment. 

This roundtable follows remarks by the Congressman, joined by Congressman Hinojosa, to GEAR UP students from the Rio Grande Valley yesterday afternoon where he encouraged them to persevere in their studies and set their ambitions high.

GEAR UP – Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs is Fattah's signature legislative achievement, with $2 billion invested and more than six million students served since its enactment a decade ago.

Fattah also taped remarks for the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families about their Communities Learning in Partnership initiative and his college access work.  Their meeting is focused on strategies to expand college access and improve college completion work.  He spoke about GEAR UP, emphasizing to students the value of higher education, and his experience on the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah