Bush Campaigns for NCLB Renewal

[Bob Schaeffer <bobschaeffer@earthlink.net>]

The fact that Pres. Bush feels the need to campaign for NCLB and express 
willingness to compromise, suggests that the rising tide of criticism is 
being heard even in the White House.


PRESERVE "CORE" OF NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT, BUSH URGES
Los Angeles Times -- March 3, 2007
by James Gerstenzang

Louisville -- President Bush urged Congress to avoid broad changes to 
the education law that represented one of his key domestic policy 
accomplishments, saying Friday that "watering down" the No Child Left 
Behind Act "would be doing thousands of children a disservice."

"It's working," Bush said. "We can change parts of it for the better, 
but don't change the core of a piece of good legislation that's making a 
significant difference in the lives of a lot of children."

The law, which Bush signed in 2002, is to expire this year, and the 
president expressed his willingness to work with Capitol Hill's new 
Democratic majority on renewing it. He singled out the Democratic 
chairmen of the Senate and House education committees — Sen. Edward M. 
Kennedy of Massachusetts and Rep. George Miller of Martinez — as crucial 
to those negotiations.

Kennedy and Miller helped provide bipartisan support for No Child Left 
Behind, but since its passage they and other Democrats have said that 
the administration has failed to provide sufficient funds to carry out 
its requirements.

Democratic leaders now can push for these and other changes to the law 
that they could not enact when Republicans controlled Congress.

Bush spoke to a crowd in the gymnasium of an elementary school in New 
Albany, Ind., before addressing a Republican Party fundraiser in nearby 
Louisville, Ky., later Friday.

Even as Bush focused on the education issue, reminders were plentiful of 
the foreign policy matters that have defined his presidency — his 
response to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and his decision to invade Iraq.

As Bush's motorcade neared the school, it passed a clutch of antiwar 
demonstrators; one held a sign reading, "War Leaves Every Child Left 
Behind." Elsewhere, he passed a banner reading, "Thank You for Keeping 
Us Safe."

At the fundraiser, Bush spoke to about 650 contributors to the National 
Republican Senatorial Committee and Mitch McConnell's 2008 reelection 
campaign. The Kentucky Republican, the Senate minority leader, will be 
seeking his fifth term.

McConnell estimated that Bush's appearance would take in about $2.1 million.

A key provision of the No Child Left Behind Act required states to 
establish uniform tests for assessing students' progress and school 
quality.

The measure's supporters say this has promoted greater accountability in 
public education and helped motivate improved student performance in 
some subjects.

But along with criticism of the funding level for the law, some skeptics 
have charged that it has hamstrung teachers by putting too much emphasis 
on "teaching to the test."

Earlier this year, an independent commission assembled by the 
nonpartisan Aspen Institute think tank recommended more than 70 changes 
to the law, including requiring an "exit exam" for high school seniors.

Bush has not said what changes he would accept. But he opposes relaxing 
testing requirements or requiring a national test to replace state exams.

He said Friday that he also favored speeding up the process through 
which parents learn about a school's test results to make it easier for 
them to decide whether to seek additional help for their children.