WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush made a pitch for reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind law Tuesday, but said he wants to add new provisions to strengthen it.
"The philosophy of the law is this: The federal government will invest in education, and in return, we seek results," Bush said in a statement from the White House. "Instead of just hoping for the best, we've asked states to set clear standards, and hold schools accountable for teaching every child to read and do math at grade level."
The president said his his administration has offered several proposals to strengthen the law, including "giving local leaders more flexibility and resources ... giving families with children stuck in low-performing schools the opportunity to choose someplace better ... At the same time," he added, "we need to increase access to tutoring programs for students who struggle, and make sure these children get the special help they need. We need to reward good teachers who improve student achievement in low-income schools."
The original law enacted in 2001 expires in January.
Critics, including some Democrats, say the law puts too much emphasis on testing when it comes to distributing federal funds and punishes inner-city schools where students do not show enough improvement.
