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Education
Reaching for Excellence Photo Essay
Laura Bush answers questions from a little boy during her reading of "Book, Book, Book" at the Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library in Chattanooga, Tenn., June 20, 2003.
Laura Bush answers questions from a little boy during her reading of "Book, Book, Book" at the Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library in Chattanooga, Tenn., June 20, 2003.
 
President George W. Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" with students at the East Literature Magnet School in Nashville, Tenn., Sept. 17, 2002. Committed to educational excellence in America, the President and Mrs. Bush launched programs such as "No Child Left Behind," "Ready to Read, Ready to Learn," and "Reading First." Education is a priority issue for them. Reaching out to share their vision, they have made it a practice to visit schools across the nation to meet one on one with teachers and students. Children wait to meet Laura Bush during a visit to Maxine O. Bush Elementary School in Phoenix, Ariz., May 9, 2003. "Today in America, we have more students in school than ever before," said Mrs. Bush, who discussed the program, "Teach for America." "More children who want the American dream - and who undeniably deserve it. More than two million new teachers will be needed in America's classrooms in the next decade - and you can be one of them," she said.
President Bush and Laura Bush listen to student Janea Bufford read at Moline Elementary School in St.Louis, Mo., Feb. 20, 2001. During his remarks, the President discussed the "Reading First" initiative, "It is a $5 billion program over five years. It will triple the amount of reading money available for local districts to access. It says that inherent in any good program is the need for districts to develop a K through 2 diagnostic tool; that is a simple tool that will enable K through 2 teachers to determine who needs help early." During a tour of Highland Park Elementary School in Landover, Md., President Bush plays with children at the school's Head Start Center where he discussed strengthening America's Head Start Program Monday, July 7, 2003.
Laura Bush answers questions from a little boy during her reading of "Book, Book, Book" at the Chattanooga-Hamilton Bicentennial Library in Chattanooga, Tenn., June 20, 2003. Meeting with students and talking about his economic stimulus plan, President Bush visits the One-Stop Career and Youth Opportunity Center in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Jan 5. 2002. The President seeks to strengthen the role of community colleges in worker training by proposing $250 million in new competitive community-based job training grants that would be used for training in community and technical colleges.
President Bush is greeted with an enthusiastic hug during a visit to Kirkpatrick Elementary School where the President highlighted the tutoring and supplemental services provided in the No Child Left Behind Act in Nashville, Tenn., Monday, Sept. 8, 2003. "So, in other words, the bill basically says, we believe in high expectations, and we believe it so strongly, we want to measure to see if those expectations are being met. It's one thing to say, I believe in high expectations; but unless you measure, you don't know whether expectations are being achieved," said the President. President Bush visits with school children in Bakersfield, Calif., March 4, 2004. "I don't think that's too high a standard, to expect a child to read at 3rd grade when they're in the 3rd grade. As a matter of fact, you know, I think it is -- I think it is perfectly reasonable to ask school districts to at least accomplish that," said the President discussing the Reading First grant program in Bethesda, Md., May 12, 2004. "There are 1,000 districts that now get Reading First grants. There are 3,600 schools getting Reading First grants. There's been 73,000 teachers trained in the curriculum that works."

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