[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 6] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page 7828] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]HONORING THE BELLFLOWER UNIFIED SCHOOL DISTRICT ______ HON. STEPHEN HORN of california in the house of representatives Wednesday, April 28, 1999 Mr. HORN. Mr. Speaker, improving our nation's public schools is one of the top priorities of the 106th Congress. We all share the goal of better educational opportunities for our nation's children. The only question is how to achieve that goal. Already this year both houses of Congress set an excellent tone of bipartisanship by passing the Education Flexibility Partnership Act of 1999--a measure that will help bring much-needed relief to our schools and improving the academic achievement of our students. This bill, like others Congress will consider this year, recognizes that local control is best for our schools, rather than a ``Washington knows best'' policy. Local school districts across the nation are laboratories for reform--finding innovative ways to improve student achievement. I rise today to pay tribute to one such school district, the Bellflower Unified School District, which serves many students residing in California's 38th Congressional District. The Bellflower Unified School District recently received a Citation in the 1999 Magna Awards for Outstanding Programs in Student Achievement, presented by The American School Board Journal and Sodexho Marriott School Services. The awards recognize local school boards for taking bold and innovative steps to improve their educational programs, and include $500 in scholarship money. The Bellflower Unified School District received the award for its Intensive Learning Center in Lakewood, CA--an elementary school that serves as a research model to demonstrate what works best in elementary education. The Intensive Learning Center offers a rigorous course of study and a longer school day (8 hours) and school year (200 days). It features state-of-the-art technology, including a science laboratory that allows students to perform experiments usually available only to secondary school students. Its faculty includes five full-time specialists to provide enrichment in science, technology, reading, Spanish, and physical education. Also key to the success of the Intensive Learning Center was the willingness of the Bellflower Board of Education to collaborate with teachers and unions. The board and the union negotiated time to allow grade-level teams of teachers to meet daily for an hour to plan instructional units. The teachers at the Intensive Learning Center deserve commendation for their hard work in making the Center a success. The Bellflower Unified School District received another honor recently when Esther Lindstrom Elementary School in Lakewood was selected as a California Nominee in the National Blue Ribbon Schools 1998-99 Elementary Program. Esther Lindstrom Elementary is one of California's 49 Nominees in this competition. Nationally, 381 public schools were nominated. Esther Lindstrom is one of 224 public schools (39 in California) to be selected for a site visit in the competition. The criteria on which the schools are judged include curriculum; teaching strategies; student achievement; student focus and support; school organization and culture; active teaching and learning; staff development; and school partnerships with families, businesses, and the larger community. I congratulate Board of Education President Ruth Atherton, Vice President G. ``Petie'' Anderson, Clerk Rick Royse, Board Member Harold Carman, Board Member Jerry Cleveland, and an outstanding Superintendent Dr. Rebecca Turrentine. They have made a real difference not only for the students of their School District, but also for children across the nation whose schools can learn from the innovations of the Intensive Learning Center and the successes of Esther Lindstrom Elementary School. ____________________