The White House
President George W. Bush
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
April 24, 2007

Fact Sheet: No Child Left Behind: Keeping America Competitive in the 21st Century
President Bush Visits Harlem Village Academy Charter School And Calls On Congress To Reauthorize NCLB This Year

      President Bush Encourages the Reauthorization of No Child Left Behind
      In Focus: Education

Today, President Bush Toured The Harlem Village Academy Charter School And Discussed The Importance Of Reauthorizing The No Child Left Behind Act.  Reauthorizing No Child Left Behind (NCLB) is one of the President's top priorities for this year.  We must raise the bar and strengthen this law to ensure our children have the skills to compete and succeed in the global economy.  There can be no compromise on NCLB's core principles, including:

No Child Left Behind Is Working In New York City And Across The Nation

We See The Good Results Of No Child Left Behind In New York City.  In the five years since No Child Left Behind was passed:

We See The Good Results Of No Child Left Behind Across The Nation.

We Must Build On No Child Left Behind's Success

Ensuring Students Graduate Prepared For The Challenges Of The 21st Century.   We will improve our high schools by increasing accountability for results and ensuring students graduate ready for college and the global economy.  We will also expand access to Advanced Placement courses and encourage all students to complete a rigorous course of study.

Improving Struggling Schools.  The President's FY 2008 Budget will increase Federal support for underperforming schools by more than $400 million – to a total of more than $1 billion next year. 

Giving Parents Of Students In Underperforming Schools More Choices.  When schools underperform for several years, NCLB gives parents real options: They can enroll their children in free tutoring – or transfer them to a better-performing traditional public or charter school.  The Department of Education will work with States and districts to help more students take advantage of free tutoring and to help expand school choice. 

The President Has Also Proposed Adding New Flexibility To NCLB, Including Additional Ways Of Measuring Student Progress.  This includes allowing high-quality growth models to give schools credit for improvement from year-to-year and provide another way to show whether achievement gaps are closing.  States with well-established assessments and robust data systems may use growth models in their overall accountability system.  Growth models allow States to measure individual students' progress over time.

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