69ý

Federal

Bush Marks School Law’s 2nd Anniversary

January 14, 2004 4 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

President Bush celebrated the second anniversary of one of his signature domestic achievements last week, as he trumpeted two schools he believes have begun to live up to the promise of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The events came as attacks on the law—signed on Jan. 8, 2002—have become more widespread in some circles, including among the Democratic candidates seeking to replace the president next fall. (“‘No Child’ Law Faulted in Democratic Race,” this issue.)

“I’m here to congratulate this school and to really hold you up for the nation to see what is possible when you raise the bar, when you’re not afraid to hold people to account, when you empower your teachers and your principals to achieve the objective we all want,” Mr. Bush told an audience at Pierre Laclede Elementary School in St. Louis. “And that’s to make sure no child, not one single child in America, is left behind.”

Meanwhile, the president last week also offered a glimpse of the education spending request he’s planning for fiscal 2005. A White House fact sheet issued Jan. 8 said he will seek $1 billion more for the Title I program for disadvantaged children—the flagship program in the No Child Left Behind law—and an additional $1 billion for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the main federal special education law.

President Bush also used last week’s school visits to respond to criticism of the No Child Left Behind law, such as complaints that its heavy reliance on standardized testing punishes schools and children.

‘It’s Not to Punish’

“The test isn’t a punishment, you know; it’s not to punish anybody,” Mr. Bush said during the Jan. 5 visit to Laclede Elementary. “The test is to determine who needs extra help. And that’s exactly why Laclede is doing well, I’m convinced, or one of the main reasons why.”

Recent state testing data for the small, K-5 school in St. Louis suggests that it has made remarkable progress in several categories, including reading. The proportion of 3rd graders who achieved the “advanced” or “proficient” rating in reading climbed from about 7 percent in 1999 to 82 percent this past year. The school last year had 226 children, all of whom were identified as African-American and eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

The president also addressed the law in his Jan. 3 weekly radio address and in a visit to West View Elementary School in Knoxville, Tenn., on Jan. 8.

Democratic presidential contender Howard Dean used the second anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act to attack Mr. Bush.

“President Bush had no problem finding money for lavish tax breaks for millionaires, or over $150 billion for his misguided war in Iraq,” Mr. Dean said in Fargo, N.D., on Jan. 5, according to a Dean campaign press release. “But when it comes to fully funding his [No Child Left Behind] mandates, schools are out of luck.”

At a debate a day earlier in Iowa, Mr. Dean called the law an “unbelievable, intrusive mandate.”

But not all Democrats last week expressed such sentiments.

“I think the act is actually doing pretty well,” Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., and a principal architect of the law, said in an interview. “I don’t want to pretend for a moment that it’s easy to implement, easy to make these changes, ... but it’s making a positive change for a lot of children and a lot of families who weren’t part of the education equation [before].”

He added: “It would be a lot easier if the president would keep his part of the promise [on funding].”

Mr. Miller and other Democrats argue that President Bush and congressional Republicans should back funding for No Child Left Behind Act programs equal to the authorization levels set in the law. For fiscal 2004, which began Oct. 1, the law authorized $18.5 billion for Title I, and for fiscal 2005, $20.5 billion.

The president’s planned Title I request for 2005 would bring total spending for that program to $13.4 billion— an 8 percent increase—for the budget year that begins this coming October. State grants for special education would increase to $11.1 billion, a 10 percent rise.

Rep. John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, the chairman of the House education committee, countered the funding criticism, noting in a press release that federal education spending has climbed dramatically the past few years.

“When they controlled Congress and the White House, Democrats routinely appropriated less money for education programs than they authorized, yet not a single Democrat accused President Clinton of ‘underfunding’ education,” Mr. Boehner said.

History’s Wrong Side?

Also last week, Secretary of Education Rod Paige touched on the No Child Left Behind law in remarks at an event tied to the upcoming 50th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, which struck down racially segregated systems of public education.

He compared opposition to the federal law signed two years ago to the defiance that the Brown decision encountered.

“No Child Left Behind is a powerful, sweeping law,” Mr. Paige said at a Jan. 7 event sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. “Because of the powerful sweep of this change, this revolution, there are some who resist. That’s to be expected. The resistance to Brown was massive and sustained over generations.

“Those who fought against Brown were on the wrong side of history,” he said, “just as those who fight No Child Left Behind will be judged so.”

A version of this article appeared in the January 14, 2004 edition of Education Week as Bush Marks School Law’s 2nd Anniversary

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69ý
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What’s Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Federal What a National School Choice Program Under President Trump Might Look Like
School choice advocates—and detractors—see a second Trump term as the biggest opportunity in decades for choice at the federal level.
8 min read
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House, on July 7, 2020, in Washington.
President Donald Trump listens during a "National Dialogue on Safely Reopening America's 69ý," event in the East Room of the White House on July 7, 2020, in Washington. He returns to power with more momentum than ever behind policies that allow public dollars to pay for private school education.
Alex Brandon/AP
Federal Trump's Education Secretary Pick Is Linda McMahon, Former WWE CEO
McMahon led the Small Business Administration in Trump's first term and is co-chair of the president-elect's transition team.
6 min read
Small Business Administration Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump in Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 29, 2019.
Then-SBA Administrator Linda McMahon speaks during a news conference with President Donald Trump at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., Friday, March 29, 2019. Trump has tapped McMahon to serve as education secretary in his second term.
Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Federal What Could RFK Jr. as HHS Secretary Mean for School Vaccine Requirements?
The vaccine skeptic in line to lead the mammoth federal agency could influence schools' vaccine rules, even though they're set by states.
6 min read
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump at a campaign event, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., speaks before President-elect Donald Trump at a campaign event on Sept. 27, 2024 in Walker, Mich. Trump has selected Kennedy to serve as secretary of health and human services in his second term.
Carlos Osorio/AP
Federal Can Trump Force 69ý to Change Their Curricula?
Trump's bid to take money from schools that teach "critical race theory" or pass policies for transgender kids raises legal complexities.
9 min read
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks on crime and safety during a campaign event at the Livingston County Sheriff's Office, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, in Howell, Mich.
Evan Vucci/AP