No Child Left Behind... in the State of the Union Address (January 23, 2007)
An Archived EdLog™ News Feature

President Bush Delivers State of the Union Address

United States Capitol

Washington, D.C.

On January 23, in the annual State of the Union Address, President Bush urged Congress to reauthorize No Child Left Behind. The following is an excerpt of the transcript, released by the White House Press Secretary, of the President's comments regarding the reauthorization:

"Spreading opportunity and hope in America also requires public schools that give children the knowledge and character they need in life. Five years ago, we rose above partisan differences to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, preserving local control, raising standards, and holding those schools accountable for results. And because we acted, students are performing better in reading and math, and minority students are closing the achievement gap.

Now the task is to build on the success, without watering down standards, without taking control from local communities, and without backsliding and calling it reform. We can lift student achievement even higher by giving local leaders flexibility to turn around failing schools, and by giving families with children stuck in failing schools the right to choose someplace better. We must increase funds for students who struggle -- and make sure these children get the special help they need. And we can make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the future and our country is more competitive by strengthening math and science skills. The No Child Left Behind Act has worked for America's children -- and I ask Congress to reauthorize this good law."

Building On Results: The next day a more detailed plan on the President's priorities for the reauthorization of NCLB was released. Inasmuch, in the President's view, NCLB is raising student achievement for millions of children in schools nationwide, that reauthorization offers an opportunity to make some common-sense changes to strengthen the law and increase its flexibility while preserving its core principles, that strengthening NCLB will further the goals of his American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI), and that we must help struggling schools improve. the President urges that this year we must:

- Encourage higher academic standards and further increase the quality of available information on student performance.

- Strengthen our public schools with incentives for school reform and empower parents with options for students to receive after-school tutoring and attend higher-performing schools.

- Help teachers close the achievement gap through incentives for effective teachers and research-based instructional tools.

- Incorporate the education components of the American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) into NCLB, thereby raising the rigor of our nation's high schools and ensuring that our students are prepared for success in the competitive global economy.

- Measure individual student progress and focus interventions on students who have not reached grade level.

Read or listen to the State of the Union Address at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/01/20070123-2.html

Read details regarding the education initiatives in Building on Results: A Blueprint for Strengthening the NCLB Act at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/initiatives/education.html

Get the State of the Union Policy Initiatives (138 MB) at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/stateoftheunion/2007/initiatives/sotu2007.pdf

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