Text 3354, 104 rader
Skriven 2006-10-05 23:32:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0610053) for Thu, 2006 Oct 5
===================================================

===========================================================================
Fact Sheet: the No Child Left Behind Act: Challenging Students Through High
Expectations
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
October 5, 2006

Fact Sheet: the No Child Left Behind Act: Challenging Students Through High
Expectations



The No Child Left Behind Act: Challenging Students Through High
Expectations

The No Child Left Behind Act Is A Historic Law - It Is Working, And It Is
Here To Stay. When he came to Washington, President Bush worked with
Republicans and Democrats to pass the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), and
he was proud to sign it into law. Today, President Bush discussed the
progress made under NCLB and areas where we can look to improve.

The Theory Behind No Child Left Behind Is Straightforward: The Federal
Government Will Ask For Demonstrated Results On The Investment It Makes In
Education. Local schools will remain under local control, but instead of
just sending checks from Washington and hoping for the best, we are
measuring results and holding schools accountable for teaching every
student to read, write, add, and subtract.

The No Child Left Behind Act Is Changing More Than The Law - It Is Changing
A Culture. We are leaving behind the days when schools shuffled children
from grade to grade, especially minorities and children who do not speak
English at home. We are making it clear that every child can learn, and
every school must teach. There can be no compromise on the basic principles
of NCLB: Every student must read, write, add, and subtract at grade level -
that is not too much to ask.

We Have Come Too Far To Turn Back Now - Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind
Is Critical. If we were to lower standards and roll back accountability
now, we would be abandoning children to the status quo that failed for
decades, and the children hurt most would be the ones NCLB was designed to
help - children in the inner cities, in rural America, and in special
education.

The No Child Left Behind Act Is Working. The most recent national tests
show encouraging results:

In reading, 9-year-olds have made larger gains in the past five years than
at any point in the previous 28 years;

In math, 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds earned the highest scores in the
history of the test; and

In both reading and math, African American and Hispanic students are
scoring higher, and are beginning to close the achievement gap with their
white peers.

The No Child Left Behind Act Has Brought Good Progress - Yet We Still Have
Much Work To Do

1. We Must Improve Teacher Quality. Bringing every student up to grade
level requires a quality teacher in every classroom. President Bush worked
with Congress to create a Teacher Incentive Fund that allows States and
school districts to reward teachers who demonstrate results for their
students and who make the tough decision to teach in the neediest schools.

President Bush Has Also Proposed A New Program To Encourage Math And
Science Professionals To Bring Their Expertise Into The Classroom As
Part-Time Teachers. The President calls on Congress to fund this program.

2. We Must Improve Options For Parents. We must do more to help parents use
their options when their children are trapped in struggling schools. We
will work with school districts to provide parents with more timely and
useful information about their transfer options and, especially in big
cities, to help more students take advantage of the free intensive tutoring
offered under NCLB.

President Bush Proposed A Nationwide Opportunity Scholarships Program To
Help More Students Escape Troubled Schools. His proposal would allow 28,000
low-income children to transfer to a private or religious school of their
choice. The President calls on Congress to create this program, so we can
help more children attend a good school and turn around their lives.

This School Year, About 1,800 Low-Income Students Have Used Scholarships
From The D.C. Opportunity Scholarships Program To Enroll At A School Of
Their Choice. Congress created this program in 2004 with strong support
from the Administration and Mayor Anthony Williams of Washington, D.C.

3. We Must Improve Our High Schools. We need to bring the same high
standards and accountability of NCLB to America's public high schools. The
President calls on Congress to pass his proposed $1.5 billion initiative to
fund testing early in high school and to help teachers fix problems before
it is too late, and his proposed program to train 70,000 teachers over five
years to lead Advanced Placement classes in high school.

# # #

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/10/20061005-3.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)