The White House, President George W. Bush Click to print this document

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 11, 2004

Fact Sheet: No Child Left Behind Is Making a Difference for America's Children

Today's Presidential Action

Today, President Bush visited Van Buren, Arkansas to highlight the No Child Left Behind Act, which is producing real results for every child in America with an absolute commitment to closing the achievement gap so every child can receive a quality education.

President Bush has requested unprecedented funding increases for education with his overall Fiscal Year (FY) 2005 budget which represents a 49% funding increase for elementary and secondary education since FY 2001. For the first time, this funding is tied to real accountability for results, and the FY 2005 budget includes:

No Child Left Behind is Making a Difference

Closing the Achievement Gap for All Students: President Bush signed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) into law to ensure that all students become proficient at reading and math and to close the achievement gap that exists between students of different socio-economic backgrounds. Using unique state-designed accountability plans, schools are measuring the progress of student achievement, keeping parents informed of student and school progress, identifying schools in need of improvement, and providing support for these schools and districts.

Reading is the Key to Success: President Bush believes reading is the cornerstone of a good education. So the President proposed and signed into law the Reading First and Early Reading First initiatives, the largest Federal reading programs, to ensure that every child learns to read by the third grade. These programs promote scientifically-based reading instruction programs that are proven to work for every child.


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