Education and Opportunity

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As a father of four and a former school board member, I understand the importance of education and its value to the community. I also understand the severity of COVID-19 and how we must take every precaution to slow its spread and keep Americans safe. With another school year quickly approaching, we are faced with a difficult question: should we reopen schools? I believe we should, and focus all our efforts on providing teachers and students with protective gear, shrinking class sizes, spreading desks apart or finding other ways to limit contact and prevent contagion.
WASHINGTON – Yesterday, U.S. Reps. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-Penn.) introduced the bipartisan Reading Early and Addressing Dyslexia (READ) Act.
WASHINGTON – On Monday night, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) hosted a reception announcing the top five winners of the Congressional App Challenge. Westerman issued the following statement:
"The Fourth District is home to students and entrepreneurs with incredible ideas, and I look forward to the App Challenge every year as an opportunity to showcase that innovation. I'm so proud of every student who took time to create and design their own original app – their creativity is inspiring!"
Background
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, Congressional Dyslexia Caucus Co-Chairs Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and Julia Brownley (D-Calif.), along with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), introduced a bipartisan resolution calling on Congress to support the designation of October 2019 as National Dyslexia Awareness Month. U.S. Reps.
Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have played a critical role in our country for decades. These higher education institutions have long been dedicated to serving the African-American community, even before President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Fourth District is proud to be the home of the largest and oldest HBCU in the state, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Over the years, we've seen many of these colleges and universities grow into internationally-acclaimed schools, training hundreds of thousands of students for successful careers.
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) hosted a briefing on dyslexia awareness and advocacy, titled "The Science of Reading: Understanding Dyslexia." The event featured doctors, educators and activists, and followed the Say Dyslexia rally in front of the U.S. Capitol. Westerman gave the following remarks:
My first exposure to public office was in 2006, when I ran for the Fountain Lake School Board. Since my wife was a special education teacher, I'd realized the need for proactive approaches – based on the latest science of reading – to teach children the fundamentals of reading and writing. I did my best to make some of these changes to our local schools, and Arkansas is taking great strides in implementing these approaches.
Today, U.S. Rep. Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.) and U.S. Rep. Julia Brownley (D-Calif.) announced that they will once again co-chair the bipartisan House Dyslexia Caucus in the 116th Congress.


