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Skriven 2005-01-12 23:33:02 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0501123) for Wed, 2005 Jan 12
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No Child Left Behind: High-Quality, High School Initiatives
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 12, 2005

No Child Left Behind: High-Quality, High School Initiatives
Fact Sheet




Presidential Action
  þ President Bush on January 12, 2005 highlighted the need to do more to
    prepare our high school students for the future. His education
    proposals would ensure that every high school student graduates with
    the skills needed to succeed in college and in a globally competitive
    workforce
  þ The President's Fiscal Year 2006 budget will provide $1.5 billion in
    funding for a new High School Initiative to help states hold high
    schools accountable for teaching all students and to provide effective
    and timely intervention for those students who are not learning at
    grade level. This initiative includes requirements for state
    assessments in high school to ensure that diplomas are truly
    meaningful.
  þ The President's plan for high schools will help to ensure excellence
    for every student.
      þ President Bush will propose to increase funding for his Striving
        Readers program to $200 million annually, and will propose $269
        million for the Mathematics and Science Partnership program.
      þ To reward teachers who demonstrate success in preparing their
        students through increases in student achievement and teach in
        low-income schools, he will propose a $500 million incentive fund
        for states and school districts.
      þ The President's support for Advanced Placement programs will not
        only encourage the growth of AP and IB courses, but also serve as a
        mechanism for upgrading the entire high school curriculum for all
        students. President Bush will also propose the State Scholars
        Initiative for states to develop and promote strong courses of
        study to increase student achievement.

Background on Presidential Action

President Bush's plan to reform our Nation's elementary and secondary
schools to ensure that all children are proficient in reading and math by
the 2013-14 school year was passed in Congress with bipartisan majorities.
The President signed into law the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) so that
testing, accountability, and high standards will join with record new
funding to help ensure educational excellence for every child. The early
grades are seeing progress across America, but we must finish the job with
American high schools.

According to the latest results from the Program for International Student
Assessment, America's 15-year-olds performed below the international
average in mathematics literacy and problem-solving, placing 27th out of 39
countries. These disappointing results should be a call to action so that
our graduates are prepared for a lifetime of achievement and active
participation in our country. To build on America's education reforms, the
President's high school initiatives will increase the quality of secondary
education and ensure that every student graduates from high school prepared
to enter college or the workforce with the skills to succeed.
  þ The President's New High School Initiative: High School Intervention
    and State Assessments
      þ The President's new High School Initiative will provide $1.5
        billion in the Fiscal Year (FY) 2006 budget. $1.2 billion will be
        used for High School Intervention to help states hold high schools
        accountable for teaching all students and to provide effective
        interventions for those students who are not learning at grade
        level. In return for a commitment to improve academic achievement
        and graduation rates for secondary school students, states will
        receive the flexibility to choose which programs will be most
        effective in serving the needs of their high school students. And
        $250 million will be used for State Assessments to ensure that high
        school diplomas are truly meaningful with required state
        assessments in high school.
      þ To make the taxpayer dollar work smarter, and still provide funding
        for states under the High School Initiative, programs with a narrow
        focus and programs that have not proven effective in improving our
        secondary students' academic achievement will be consolidated.
  þ Increasing Reading Skills for America's Striving Readers
      þ Students who fall behind in reading have a greater chance of
        dropping out of high school altogether. The President's Striving
        Readers initiative provides a focus on improving the reading skills
        of high school students who read below grade level. This
        Presidential initiative, first funded in 2005, builds on the No
        Child Left Behind elementary school reading initiatives. The
        President's FY 2006 budget will provide $200 million, an increase
        of $175 million, eight times the 2005 level to improve the reading
        skills of these high school students.
  þ Enhancing Mathematics and Science Achievement
      þ To accelerate mathematics and science achievement for our high
        school graduates, the President will again propose a total of $269
        million in the FY 2006 budget, for the Mathematics and Science
        Partnership program authorized in the No Child Left Behind Act.
        $120 million will be dedicated to support projects to accelerate
        the mathematics achievement of all secondary students, and
        especially low-achieving students. The program works to ensure that
        states and school districts implement professional development
        projects for mathematics teachers that are strongly grounded in
        research, and that help mathematics teachers strengthen their
        skills.
      þ The President also supports partnerships between school districts
        and public-private institutions to create an Adjunct Teacher Corps,
        with opportunities for professionals to teach middle and high
        school courses in the core academic subjects, particularly in
        mathematics and science. Many school districts are in need of
        personnel to strengthen instruction in middle and high schools in
        the core academic subjects, especially mathematics and science.
  þ Accelerating Student Achievement with Advanced Placement and
    International Baccalaureate
      þ President Bush will propose $52 million in the FY 2006 budget for
        the Advanced Placement program authorized in the No Child Left
        Behind Act _ an increase of 73%. This funding will help ensure that
        teachers in low-income schools are well-trained to teach Advanced
        Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) courses. The
        President's support for Advanced Placement programs will not only
        encourage the growth of AP and IB courses, but also serve as a
        mechanism for upgrading the entire high school curriculum.
  þ Promoting Scholastic Achievement with State Scholars
      þ President Bush will propose $45 million to encourage students to
        take more rigorous high school courses. Under the President's State
        Scholars Initiative, 12 states have already received assistance to
        create the State Scholars program which requires high school
        students to take at least three years of math and science, three
        and one-half years of social studies, four years of English, and
        two years of foreign language courses.
      þ In addition, low-income high school students will be eligible for
        up to $1,000 in additional Pell Grant aid for the first two years
        of college if they complete the State Scholars curriculum.

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