May 8, 2002
PRESIDENT BUSH, SECRETARY PAIGE TAKE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND TOUR ACROSS AMERICA TO WISCONSIN, FOCUS ON EMPOWERING FAMILIES WITH MORE CHOICES
Paige to provide preliminary guidance on school choice and supplemental services, host conference for state leaders and service providers in June
President Bush today joined Secretary of Education Rod Paige today on
the No Child Left Behind Tour Across America in Wisconsin, where they
focused on the accountability and teacher quality elements of the No
Child Left Behind Act and highlighted the provisions of the law that
empower children in failing schools to select another public school
beginning next year.
They visited with parents, teachers, students and local leaders at
three schools: the Rufus King International Baccalaureate High School
and the Clarke Street Elementary School, both in Milwaukee, and the
Logan High School in LaCrosse.
The president noted that in Wisconsin alone, there are 116 schools
that have failed to meet state education standards for two years in a
row. The 70,000 students who attend these schools will now have the
option to transfer to a better public school beginning this fall as a
result of the No Child Left Behind Act.
States determine which schools are in need of improvement based on
state-developed standards and criteria. Based on preliminary data
provided to the U.S. Department of Education by the states, students are
enrolled in more than 7,200 failing schools across the country.
State-level information is available from each state agency.
"Wisconsin understands the power of unleashing parental choice,"
Secretary Paige said. "Now, thanks to No Child Left Behind, parents of
children in failing schools all across this nation are empowered to do
the same.
"These reforms say loud and clear to parents: If your child's school
is failing its mission, then you've got a choice. You can enroll your
child in a better school, get one-on-one tutoring, or after-school
help."
Paige said that he will be offering preliminary guidance to states on
public school choice and supplemental services--two key requirements of
the new law that states and school districts will begin implementing
this fall. New rules and guidance should be available by mid-summer,
2002.
In addition, Paige announced that he will be hosting a public school
choice and supplemental services conference at the Department of
Education in early June for education leaders, service providers, and
community groups--to equip them with information about the choice and
supplemental services provisions of the new law.
"We are going to work as partners with the states and school
districts at every step of the implementation process," Paige said. "We
understand that providing choice and supplemental services -- including
tutoring and after-school help--may present a management challenge for
school districts. But these are the children who need it most. They have
waited long enough. We can't get hung up on process."
Paige said there are two reasons for the choice provisions: first, to
help free children trapped in failing schools to get the help they need
to learn and excel and second, to send a message loud and clear that if
schools are failing their mission, then parents have other options."
Throughout this week, President Bush and Secretary Paige have
discussed the following key provisions of this landmark law:
Strengthening Accountability--Under the No Child Left Behind Act,
states will be responsible for setting strong academic standards for
what every child should know and learn in reading, math and science at
the elementary, middle and high school levels.
Improving Teacher Quality--The No Child Left Behind Act requires that
there must be a highly qualified teacher in every classroom by the end
of the 2005-2006 school year.
Increasing Parental Involvement--Because of the No Child Left Behind
Act, every parent in America will have access to information on how well
their child's school is performing. The No Child Left Behind Act gives
low-income parents with children in persistently failing schools the
ability to transfer their child to a better public school or use federal
Title I dollars for supplemental services to improve their child's
education.
Strengthening Reading Programs--The No Child Left Behind Act fully
implements the president's Reading First initiative. Local recipients
will administer screening and diagnostic assessments to determine which
students in grades K-3 are at risk of reading failure and provide
professional development for K-3 teachers in the essential components of
reading instruction.
Secretary Paige kicked off his nationwide tour on April 8, 2002. In
addition to today's stops, Secretary Paige has visited Albuquerque,
N.M.; Atlanta; Washington, D.C.; Las Vegas, Nev.; and Southfield, Mich.
Other stops will be announced later.
As part of this public awareness effort, the Department of Education
has prepared specific information available through a Web
site--www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov--and guidebooks to help parents,
teachers, principals, local and state officials and community leaders
understand what the law means to them.
Back to Top
Return to News and Press
| 
Official U.S. Department of Education web site.