Federal funding for education is an investment in our children's future and our nation's economic vitality. Although federal funds represent a relatively small proportion of the total expenditures for elementary and secondary education, they provide critical assistance to help local school officials improve their educational programs and meet the special needs of disadvantaged children. Federal student financial aid programs provide critical assistance to help students receive higher education.
The intention of the No Child Left Behind Act is to hold states and
school districts accountable for academic outcomes and to close the
achievement gap among students. I support these goals. However, it
has become clear that NCLB needs to be restructured to better fit the
needs of our children.
First, we need to provide the resources our schools need to meet the
expectations we have set. The President has continually refused to
fully fund the provisions of NCLB. We cannot tie the hands of
administrators and teachers by instituting requirements without
providing the funds necessary to meet them.
Second, the testing structure under current law needs to be
reevaluated. NCLB measures the success of one group of students
compared to the previous group. That is a flawed model. Instead, we
need to track the progress of each student over time through growth
models. We must address the impact NCLB has had in narrowing the
curriculum at many schools. Because of the high-stakes nature of the
tests and the mandatory federal sanctions for schools that do not meet
achievement goals, too many schools are cutting out subjects like
social studies, art, music, and physical education. We are denying
many children a well-rounded education as attention turns primarily to
preparing them to pass the limited yearly tests mandated by NCLB.
At the same time, I am concerned that some states are lowering the
standards of their tests so that more of their students and schools
will be counted as making adequate progress. The United States should
have a world-class educational system. We may need to consider
national standards that ensure our students are achieving success at a
level consistent with our international competitors in the world
market.
Finally, we need to focus more resources on bringing great teachers
into the classroom and keeping them there. The most important factor
in the educational success of a child is the quality of the teacher in
the classroom. I support more federal funding for professional
development and for teacher and principal recruitment and retention,
especially in the areas of math, science, and special education.
I believe we can reform NCLB so that it helps our students achieve
high levels of success and provides support and resources to school
districts, principals, and teachers.
I want to fix the No Child Left Behind law. It helped us focus on
accountability, but it has major defects. Education should be about
more than teaching to the test. We need to provide schools with the
resources to successfully implement real reforms. We need to treat
teachers as the professionals they are and invest more in teacher
preparation and retention efforts. I am also working to expand
funding for math, science, and technology education, and to reduce the
cost of college and the high price of textbooks.
