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Wednesday, January 24, 2007
State of Education: ‘No Child’ Goes On
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
It didn’t take President Bush long to bring up education in his “State of the Union” address last night, and it took even less time for him to move on to other topics.
But in the brief moment he spent on the nation’s public schools — just after the economy and right before healthcare — Bush had a few strong words about the upcoming reauthorization of his No Child Left Behind Act. Namely, that he won’t stand for any “watering down” of standards or “backsliding” on reforms he ushered in five years ago.
The president wants more help for struggling students, more emphasis on math and science, more flexibility for local officials to turn around failing schools and more options for families to leave low-performing campuses. Of course, these changes first have to get through a Democratically controlled Congress where key lawmakers already are demanding more money to implement the law’s requirements and balking at private school tuition vouchers.
So, to use an old cliche: Was Bush’s tough talk on education this year really just more bark than bite?
