9/14/04 -- President Bush proposes to expand the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) by focusing on high schools and calling for more tests, if elected to a second term.
In accepting the nomination for President at the Republican National Convention Sept. 2, Bush announced a plan to require states to test students in grade 3 through 11 annually in reading and math.
NCLB, which Bush points to as one of his major accomplishments, requires annual testing in grades 3 through 8 and once in grades 10 to 12.
In his speech, Bush called NCLB "the most important federal education reform in history." He also said: "In our high schools, we will fund early intervention programs to help students at risk. We will place a new focus on math and science. As we make progress, we will require a rigorous exam before graduation."
Meanwhile, the Democratic candidate, Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass), accuses Bush of shortchanging schools by failing to provide adequate funding for NCLB. According to the Kerry campaign, "Bush's last four budgets have cumulatively provided $27 billion less than what was pledged under NCLB."
In addition to more tests, the President's K-12 proposals include the following:
• increasing the Striving Readers program to $200 million a year and providing $200 million to help states use eighth-grade test data to develop performance plans for entering high school students;
• an "eLearning Clearinghouse" with information on online courses for students and adults;
• a $500 million incentive fund for states and school districts to reward teachers who are successful in raising student achievement.
A fact sheet released by the Bush campaign does not mention exit exams or any plans to increase funding for Title I or special education. In fact, a memorandum from the Office of Management and Budget says the White House will seek a $1.5 billion cut in education programs in the federal budget for fiscal year 2006.
Kerry proposes creating a $200 billion trust fund to pay for special education, increase funding for the implementation of NCLB, and offer teachers $30 billion in pay raises over 10 years. A fact sheet released by the Kerry campaign calls for fully funding NCLB "so students have smaller classes and more textbooks."
Kerry also calls for increasing teacher pay, "especially in the schools and subjects where great teachers are in the shortest supply" and for teachers "who have extra skills and excel in helping children learn." He also proposes "rigorous new tests for teachers" and "fast, fair procedures for improving or removing teachers who do not perform well on the job, while preserving protections from arbitrary dismissal."
To address the problem of dropouts, Kerry calls for schools to keep better track of graduation rates, require the accurate and uniform reporting and disaggregation of data, and require schools to be held accountable for raising graduation rates
Kerry says the national graduation rate is not 85 percent as reported by Bush, but closer to 68 percent. He proposes more tutoring and mentoring for youths at risk of dropping out.
In addition, Kerry proposes a national initiative to align the academic standards in high school with the knowledge and skills required for college and work; support for efforts to break up large, troubled high schools and build smaller schools; and more funding for after-school programs.
During a campaign stop in Wisconsin in August, Kerry promised to roll back the tax benefits for corporations and the wealthy and channel the money to "primary and secondary education, special education, and job training."