For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 2, 2007

Fact Sheet: The No Child Left Behind Act: Preparing Our Nation's Students to Succeed

White House News

      President Bush Discusses No Child Left Behind Reauthorization
      In Focus: Education

Today, President Bush Discussed The No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) At Silver Street Elementary School In New Albany, Indiana. Reauthorizing NCLB is one of the President's top priorities. NCLB is helping to raise student achievement and make a real difference in our Nation's schools. We must build on the law's success without watering down standards or rolling back accountability.

• Silver Street Elementary School Is An Example Of The Good Results Of No Child Left Behind. Students at Silver Street Elementary School have met State standards for progress under NCLB every year since 2002.

• Testing Data Has Helped Teachers At Silver Street Elementary School Tailor Instruction To Meet The Individual Needs Of Their Students. For example, when test results showed students needed to improve in reading, the school set aside a daily block of time for reading and writing instruction. Teachers at Silver Street also receive targeted training to improve their teaching techniques in areas where students are struggling.

The No Child Left Behind Act Is Working

Under NCLB We Are Measuring Results - And Holding Schools Accountable For Teaching Every Student To Read, Write, Add, And Subtract. Measuring results helps teachers spot problems early, so they can help students catch up, and gives parents valuable information about how well schools are doing.

We See Good Results From No Child Left Behind Across The Nation. Between 2003 and 2005, 46 States and the District of Columbia improved or held steady in all categories of fourth grade students tested in reading and math. In addition:

• More reading progress was made by 9-year-olds between 1999 and 2004 than in the previous 28 years combined.
• In math, 9-year olds and 13-year olds earned the highest scores in the history of the test.
• African American and Hispanic students' reading and math scores were up in the five years ending in 2004, and these students are beginning to close the achievement gap.

We Must Build On This Success And Strengthen No Child Left Behind

Keeping America Competitive In The 21st Century Depends On No Child Being Left Behind. We must ensure our children have the skills to compete and succeed in the increasingly competitive global economy. Meeting this challenge will require us to raise the bar - and strengthen No Child Left Behind.

• Ensuring Students Graduate Prepared For The Challenges Of The 21st Century. We will bring rigor to our Nation's high schools by increasing accountability for results, helping more students enroll in Advanced Placement courses, and working to ensure students graduate ready for college and the global economy. Improving math and science instruction will be critical to this effort. The President calls on Congress to fund his program to encourage 30,000 math and science professionals over the next eight years to bring real-life experience to the classroom as part-time teachers.

• Improving Struggling Schools. The President's 2008 budget will increase Federal support for underperforming schools to more than $1 billion, and help these schools fix what is wrong and improve student achievement. The President also proposes expanding the Teacher Incentive Fund to support State and local efforts to reward teachers who raise student achievement and work in low-income schools.

• Giving Parents Of Students In Underperforming Schools More Choices. The Federal government will work with districts to help more students in underperforming schools take advantage of free tutoring - and to expand school choice. The President has proposed Promise Scholarships to allow 100,000 eligible students to transfer to private or out-of-district public schools, or receive intensive tutoring. The President has also proposed a nationwide "Opportunity Scholarships Program" to assist communities that want to provide additional scholarships for low-income students to attend private schools.

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