Bush aides turn on his education bill

WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- The renewal of U.S. President George Bush's No Child Left Behind educational bill is facing opposition from some of his former aides who helped get it passed.

The criticism isn't very subtle, prompting Bush to speak directly about it at the White House on Monday, The Washington Post reported.

"The No Child Left Behind Act is working and Congress needs to reauthorize this good piece of legislation," Bush said.

Some Republicans interviewed by the newspaper said the White House has strayed too far from conservative principles and many parents and educators have complained about what they consider onerous federal mandates in the package.

Roderick Paige supported the law when he was secretary of the Department of Education partly because it focused unprecedented attention on public education and achievement gaps between privileged and disadvantaged students.

However, Paige's former deputy, Eugene Hickok, told the Post that current Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, the top White House education adviser in Bush's first term, "wasn't very interested in flexibility."