Skip to Content text only go to search President News Vice President History & Tours First Lady Search
Welcome to the White House.
Government Kids Only Espanol Contact Privacy Policy SiteMap
Receive Email Updates    
 

West Wing Connections
Policies in Focus

America Responds to Terrorism
Homeland Security
Economy & Budget
Education Reform
Medicare
Social Security
More Issues
En Español

News
Current News
Press Briefings
Proclamations
Nominations
Executive Orders
Radio Addresses
Discurso Radial
(en Español)
  
News by Date
May 2002
April 2002
March 2002
February 2002
January 2002
December 2001
November 2001
October 2001
September 2001
August 2001
July 2001
June 2001
May 2001
April 2001
March 2001
February 2001
January 2001

Appointments
Application

Photos
Photo of President Bush and Mexican President Fox
Photo Essays
State of the Union
  
Federal Facts
Federal Statistics
  
West Wing
History
 Home > News & Policies > May 2002
Printer-Friendly Version

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 6, 2002

President Highlights Next Step of Education Reform

President Bush will highlight the next important step in education reform -- translating legislative action into results in the classroom -- by stressing the need for increased accountability, improved teacher quality, more parental involvement and a focus on reading in our nations public schools.

In Michigan and Wisconsin, President Bush joined Education Secretary Rod Paige's 25-city No Child Left Behind Tour Across America. As part of the tour, the President will meet with students, teachers, principals, parents and community leaders to talk about the important roles they play in improving our nations schools.

Background on the No Child Left Behind Tour Across America

President Bush signed the cornerstone of his education agenda -- the No Child Left Behind Act -- into law on January 8, 2002. As a result of the No Child Left Behind Act, states and school districts will develop strong accountability systems to ensure that every child in America is receiving a quality education.

States and school districts will receive additional flexibility and reduced federal red tape through the ability to transfer and consolidate funds to encourage innovation. To achieve the goal of higher student performance, the new law requires a highly qualified teacher in every classroom.

Additionally, parents will have access to more information about how well their local school is performing, and new options to have more control over their childrens education. And, every school in America will have new tools to ensure that children can learn to read.

The No Child Left Behind Act is the most sweeping reform of the educational system in a generation, and it will result in significant changes at the state, school district and classroom levels.

On April 8, Education Secretary Rod Paige announced a 25-city nationwide tour to increase public awareness of these new changes -- and to encourage parents, teachers, principals and community leaders to take an active role in implementing education reform.

As part of this public awareness effort, the Department of Education has prepared specific information available through a web site (www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov) and guidebooks to help parents, teachers, principals, local and state officials and community leaders.

President Bush will meet with parents, teachers, school administrators and community leaders to encourage their involvement in implementing school reform. The President will focus on:

Strengthening Accountability -- Under the No Child Left Behind Act, states will be responsible for setting strong academic standards for what every child should know and learn in reading, math, and science at the elementary, middle and high school levels.

Beginning in the 2002-03 school year, schools will have to measure student progress and better target resources by administering tests in each of three grade spans -- grades 3-5, grades 6-9, and grades 10-12 in all schools. Beginning in the 2005-06 school year, tests must be administered every year in grades 3 through 8 in math and reading.

Beginning in the 2007-08 school year, science achievement must also be tested. The Presidents FY 03 budget requests $387 million to help states develop and implement accountability systems.

Improving Teacher Quality -- The No Child Left Behind Act requires that there must be a highly qualified teacher in every classroom by the end of the 2005-2006 school year. Using the new provisions in the No Child Left Behind Act in conjunction with President Bushs budget request, the federal government will invest more than $4 billion in 2002 alone to improve teacher quality and strengthen teacher recruitment throughout America.

Increasing Parental Involvement -- Because of the No Child Left Behind Act, every parent in America will have access to information on how well their childs school is performing. Parents can use this information to get more involved to strengthen their childs school.

And, the No Child Left Behind Act gives low-income parents with children in persistently failing schools the ability to transfer their child to a better public school or use federal Title I dollars for supplemental services to improve their childs education.

Strengthening Reading Programs - The No Child Left Behind Act fully implements the Presidents Reading First initiative. The new Reading First State Grant program will make 6-year grants to States, which will make competitive subgrants to local communities.

Local recipients will administer screening and diagnostic assessments to determine which students in grades K-3 are at risk of reading failure, and provide professional development for K-3 teachers in the essential components of reading instruction.

The new Early Reading First program will make competitive 6-year awards to districts to support early language, literacy, and pre-reading development of preschool-age children, particularly those from low-income families. The Presidents FY 03 budget requests $1 billion for Reading First and $75 million for Early Reading First.


Printer-Friendly Version



President  |  Vice President  |  First Lady  |  Mrs. Cheney  |  News & Policies  | 
History & ToursKids  |  Your Government  |  Appointments  |  ContactText only


Accessibility  |  Search  |  Privacy Policy  |  Help