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Education-Bush Proposals
PHOTOCOPY
PRESERVATION
E.J. DionneJr.
Beyond Scandals
After a season of scandals and scandal-monger-
Bush shrewdly distanced himself from many of
The problem with Bush's idea is what he'd do
ing, American voters are tempted to turn off, tune
the hot-button education issues and avoided teach-
when schools fail. Vouchers are not always a bad
out and drop away from politics and civic life.
er-bashing. "Education is too important to have a
idea. But in many areas, a $1,500 voucher would
Before they do, they should catch the signals
strategy of divide and conquer," he said. Bush also
give parents no choice at all. "In many parts of my
coming their way from a new batch of presidential
condemned the idea that disadvantaged kids should
state, you go to public school or you don't go to
candidates. They're not just raising "issues" in an
not be held to high standards. This entailed "the
effort to win votes. They' talking about problems
soft bigotry of low expectations." Good line, and
school," says Bingaman. "There's no place to go
and how to solve them.
with a voucher for $1,500."
right, too.
On the Democratic side, Vice President Gore
Bush's core policy proposal was also refreshing,
And Miller sees Bush evading the reason so many
and former senator Bill Bradley are about to start a
if flawed. He wants to use the federal government's
school systems fail: "Poor kids go to poor schools
serious argument over how to cover the 44 million
Title 1 program-it gives $7.7 billion a year to
and get a poor education" because their local school
Americans who lack health insurance. Gore made
schools that educate poor children-as a lever to
districts lack money. "They can't pay their teachers
his bid this week with a sensible if modest plan to
force states to test children regularly to see if
as well, they don't have the education materials, they
help kids and the near-elderly.
they're making progress. Schools would have three
don't have the facilities," Miller says.
Even more striking were the reviews given
years to get their act together. If at the end of three
Kati Haycock, president of the nonpartisan
Texas Gov. George W. Bush's education propos-
years there is still no progress, Bush said, federal
Education Trust in Washington, calls Bush's educa-
als-not by Republicans but by Democrats. The
funds would be used to give parents of poor kids a
tion record in Texas "impressive" and likes his
shrewdest among them pointed to serious short-
$1,500 voucher that they could use at the school of
approach to accountability. But she raises the right
comings in the approach Bush outlined in a
their choice, including private schools.
doubts about his vouchers solution.
California speech last week. But they also see Bush
In pushing for testing, Bush is breaking with
"If he means just tossing kids into a set of private
pushing the schools debate in the right direction.
some of his fellow Republicans who, on principle,
schools that are totally unaccountable in terms of
"It's very encouraging," says Rep. George Miller,
don't want the federal government to do much of
a liberal Democrat from California. "There are a
having high standards and high student achieve-
anything about local schools. Gary Bauer, trying to
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1999
The Washington Post
corral the party's right flank in his quest for the
ment, then I don't think that's the most effective
number of themes there that are very consistent
with what we've been saying about school and
presidency, quickly denounced Bush for proposing
strategy," she says. "On the other hand, there may be
teacher accountability, and also the accountability
"another layer of bureaucracy at an even larger
some circumstances where, if there are no high-qual-
of the political system."
federal Department of Education."
ity public schools available, we may have to think
"What's good about it," says Sen. Jeff Bingaman,
But as Bush, Miller and Bingaman all argue, if
about that." Vouchers, in other words, are a last
a New Mexico Democrat who is a partner with
tests aren't given, administrators aren't held ac-
resort, not an alternative to fixing the public schools.
Miller in pushing for improved teaching, "is the
countable and parents are denied useful infor-
But wherever this debate goes, it's a big improve-
emphasis on standards and measuring performance
mation on how their schools are doing. What
ment on the politics of ideological cheap shots and
and building accountability into the schools."
meaning does the word "choice" have then?
scandal. Any chance we can stick with it?
Richard Cohen
Keeping
Bad
Company
On the wall next to my desk I keep
The essence of racial unity-the
a blowup of an article from a British
essence of what Bradley is talking
newspaper. The article recounted
about-is the fundamental require-
how one intellectual had found anoth-
ment that we treat one another with
er morally deficient-and told him so
dignity and respect. Sharpton rarely
in no uncertain terms. A "magisterial
does that. He casually vilified Pa-
rebuke," the paper called it, a wonder-
gones and then simply left the
ful term that occurred to me recently.
scene-roaring away in his demago-
It's precisely what Bill Bradley should
guemobile as if nothing had hap-
have given the Rev. Al Sharpton.
pened. But something had. He had
But that's not what the Reverend
publicly accused another person of
Al got. Instead, when Bradley, who
being a racist and a rapist. This is not
just made his presidential campaign
your usual hello.
official, recently appeared before
But it is for Sharpton. Later, he
Sharpton's National Action Network,
used the most incendiary and ugly
he spoke about the importance of
language to refer to Jews in the
racial unity but never mentioned that
Crown Heights section of Brooklyn-
his host is the very personification of
"diamond merchants"- still later
racial divisiveness.
he blamed "white interlopers" for the
The visit to Sharpton says some-
effort to oust a black-owned record
thing awfully troubling about Brad-
store from its Harlem location. The
ley. A man seeking the presidency
landlord, it turned out, was neither
ought to know the difference between
white nor, as was widely believed,
a civil rights leader and someone
Jewish-but a black church.
whose very mouth is an anti-person-
This is not a happy record. But it is
nel weapon, hurting the guilty and the
made worse, far worse, by Sharpton's
innocent with casual indifference. If,
refusal to issue his own magisterial
for instance, Sharpton just started to
rebuke-this time to Khalid Abdul
apologize to those he's unjustly ac-
Muhammad. A year ago, this gutter
cused of racism all these years, it
bigot held his first preposterously
would amount to a second career.
named "Million Youth March" in
No one who hears Bradley speak
Harlem. Sharpton spoke. He did so,
about race can fail to be impressed
he said, because no one was going to
with his evident sincerity and how
tell him where to speak and to whom.
But having made his point, he had an
Bill Bradley's nod
obligation to say something about the
antisemitic, Catholic-hating racist be-
hind him. He said nothing.
to Al Sharpton.
Someone could say-and someone
will-that Sharpton does some good,
much the issue means to him. Indeed,
too. Fair enough. He has held New
he has called racial unity the core of
York's Finest accountable as they,
his campaign. "It is who Iam," he told
with depressing regularity, shoot up
his Harlem audience. "It's what I
or beat up some innocent or relatively
believe. It's what I care most about.
harmless person. His passion for
It's one of the main motivations for
black people seems keenly felt, and he
has-even his enemies must con-
my being in politics in the first place."
Nice-but the wrong venue. The
cede-an absolute genius for generat-
Reverend Al was one of those, after
ing headlines.
all, who falsely accused some white
But racial unity cannot be a mere
law enforcement officials of kidnap-
phrase-a wispy aspiration. If it
ping and then raping Tawana Braw-
means anything at all, it has to
ley, the 15-year-old black girl who
encompass a single ethical standard
concocted her tale after failing to
for all people, especially public fig-
ures-an insistence that we all be
come home one night. One of those
Sharpton fingered was an assistant
treated as individuals. Pagones is an
district attorney named Steven Pa
individual. "Diamond merchants" are
individuals. "Outsiders" in Harlem
gones.
"We state openly that Steven Pa-
are individuals. All of them, though,
gones, the assistant district attorney,
were treated as stereotypes.
did it," Sharpton said back in 1988.
Bill Bradley should never have
"His lawyers say he may or may not
gone to speak to Al Sharpton's organi-
sue us. If we're lying, sue us, so we
zation. By going and then failing to
can go into court with you and prove
utter a single word of criticism, he
you did it."
increased Sharpton's stature and di-
Pagones did just that-and won.
minished his own. Bradley's a big
Sharpton owes him money-not that
man, but by stooping for votes, he
Pagones will ever see it. More impor-
made himself look small indeed
tant, though, he owes him an apolo-
gy-a return of his good name. So far,
he has not seen that, either.
The Washington Post
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 1999
The Bush Record on Education
"Texas leads the nation when it comes to improving public schools. We are raising
standards, strengthening accountability and funding early intervention so that every child
learns to read and no child is left behind."
-Governor George W. Bush
Background
When Governor Bush was first elected in 1994, rules and regulations were stifling the
capacity of local people to chart the path of excellence for their schools. Accountability
and curriculum was focused on process not student results. The state education
bureaucracy was growing unchecked. Teachers faced the menace of out-of-control,
disruptive students. Yet they lacked the freedom to enforce class rules or remove such
students.
The state had more than two dozen education goals, in the words of Governor Bush,
"there were so many goals, there were no goals," and despite state education funding of
nearly $22 billion a year, one in five Texas schoolchildren could not read. Many of these
same students advanced from grade to grade, regardless of whether they had mastered the
skills needed to succeed at the next level.
Number-One Priority
In response, Governor Bush made education Texas' number one priority, both in focus
and in funding. Working with the Legislature, he enacted key reforms based on three
fundamental principles: local control, limited government and accountability for student
performance and achievement.
Local Control
Governor Bush believes in aligning authority and responsibility at the local level.
When we send our children to school, local parents and teachers and school
boards should control what goes on in those schools. In addition, power at the
local level discourages excuses for failure and encourages accountability and
enhanced student performance. Texas should settle for nothing less than
excellence from both the schools and the students in them.
Limited Government
Governor Bush believes the state's role in education should be limited to setting
measurable goals and then holding school districts accountable for achieving
those goals. Today, Texas has four clear goals: excellence in math, science,
English, and social studies. Texas has put fewer bureaucratic burdens on schools,
but still holds them accountable to achieve these goals.
1
Accountability
Governor Bush believes the state's role in public education is to set clear and
measurable goals and hold districts accountable for results. Under Governor
Bush's leadership, the state has strengthened its accountability system into one of
the nation's toughest. The state now sets goals at the state level and rates
individual campuses based on their ability to meet or exceed those goals. Texas
has raised and will continue to raise the bar for what constitutes "acceptable" and
"exemplary" achievement by schools in basic academic skills.
Results: Texas students thrive during the Bush Administration
Texas Assessment of Academic Skills (TAAS) Test scores have improved significantly
for four consecutive years. Minority students in particular showed impressive gains -
some groups improving their scores by as much as 60 percent.
The number of students who passed all parts of the TAAS test has increased 47
percent while Governor Bush has been in office, from 53 percent in 1995 to 78
percent in 1999.
The number of minorities passing the TAAS increased from 38 in 1994 percent to 69
percent in 1999.
Reading performance has improved: 87 percent of all students in grades 3-8 and 10
passed the reading TAAS in 1998, up from 77 percent four years ago.
Texas schools continue to improve. From 1994 to 1998, the number of schools rated
"exemplary" rose from just 67 to 1,048. During the same time, the number of
"recognized" schools more than doubled from 516 to 1,166.
Texas students have demonstrated outstanding performance on national evaluations since
Governor Bush has been in office
On the 1996 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in Mathematics,
African-American fourth graders in Texas ranked first in the nation among African-
American fourth graders, with Hispanic students close behind.
Texas recently earned the distinction of being one of two states that has made the
greatest progress in education in recent years, according to the National Education
Goals Panel.
Governor Bush's Reading Initiative
To address the immediate problem of illiteracy in schools, Governor Bush outlined in
January 1996 a simple, yet profound, goal: that every Texas child learn to read on grade
level or better by the end of third grade and continue to read on grade level or better
throughout his or her schooling. To help schools achieve this goal, Governor Bush and
the Texas Legislature, the State Board of Education and the Commissioner of Education
gave educators new tools to improve reading performance. They include:
A rigorous core reading curriculum that is knowledge-based, back-to-basics, and
phonics-driven - i.e., a curriculum based on the science of reading;
A new diagnostic tool, the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, to help kindergarten
through second-grade teachers detect and correct reading problems early; and
2
$82 million over a four-year period to fund Reading Academies - intensive schools-
within-schools to teach reading programs that work.
Accomplishments
From 1995 through 1999, Governor Bush and the Texas Legislature enacted a series of
reforms to establish clear goals, return power to local communities and hold local school
districts accountable for educating the children of Texas. Highlights:
Toughened the accountability system. Under Governor Bush's leadership, the state
has developed its accountability system into one of the nation's strongest and most
comprehensive to ensure that no child is left behind. This system begins with
diagnostics as early as kindergarten and continues with assessments in grades 3
through 11. Students will be measured and their schools will be measured.
Insisted on local control. In 1995, the Texas Legislature passed and Governor Bush
signed a new Education Code that decentralized public education and restored local
control to schools. The new code is strong but flexible; it sets clear goals and holds
districts accountable for achieving them - yet it gives teachers, parents and
administrators the freedom to chart their own course to excellence by eliminating
unnecessary bureaucracy and oversight. More than 200 state rules were abolished,
giving local school districts more freedom to determine how best to educate.
Reduced federal education oversight. Texas is one of only 12 states in 1996 to
apply for and receive Ed Flex status from the federal government. This status gives
educators more freedom in deciding how to use federal education funds to implement
federal programs in ways that will meet the needs of Texas students and
communities. Since 1996, Education Commissioner Mike Moses, a Bush appointee,
has granted more than 4,000 Ed Flex waivers to Texas school districts and charter
schools, which is fourteen times more than the U.S. Department of Education has
granted in the entire country since 1995.
Returned to basics. Since Governor Bush took office, Texas has created a rigorous
core curriculum that is knowledge-based and back-to-basics for all subjects and
grades. The goal is excellence in the core subjects of English, math, science and
social studies. This effort marks the first overhaul of state curriculum in a decade.
Texas now has clear, specific expectations for what students should learn and know,
as opposed to the earlier, prescriptive approach to how local educators should teach.
Textbooks and assessment tests will be updated to reflect this new focus on the basics
and the goal of higher standards.
Ended social promotion. Governor Bush campaigned for and signed legislation
ending social promotion in Texas' public schools. The initiative will help teachers
identify and help students who have trouble learning in the earliest grades - when
learning problems are easier to fix. The initiative, which will start with the
kindergarten class of 1999, requires extra help for children diagnosed with reading
problems at any point during kindergarten through second grade. The initiative also
3
requires additional intensive reading instruction for any child who fails the reading
portion of the third-grade TAAS test. Students are required to pass the reading and
math portions of the TAAS test in fifth grade and eight grade before being promoted
to the next grade level.
Implemented the Governor's reading initiative. At Governor Bush's urging, the
Legislature appropriated $82 million over a four-year period to help fund reading
academies in Texas schools. Reading academies are schools-within-schools that
provide accelerated, research-based reading instruction for children who have reading
problems in the early grades. The earlier a reading problem is diagnosed, the easier it
is to correct.
Created a zero-tolerance policy for bad behavior. Teachers now have the
authority to remove disruptive students from their classrooms. Instead of expelling
students, which essentially puts them on the streets, the Legislature and Governor
Bush worked together to create an alternative education system to help these students.
Offered choice in public education. The Texas Legislature, with the support of
Governor Bush, authorized the creation of open-enrollment charter schools, including
schools for "at-risk" youth. There are currently 168 charter schools approved in
Texas. Together, they authorized home-rule school districts and campus and program
charter schools, and provided financial incentives for schools to accept children who
want to transfer from a low-performing school.
Increased funding for education. Texas has increased state funding for public
schools by $8.3 billion, representing 56 percent of state spending increases during
Governor Bush's tenure. State funding per pupil has increased 37 percent. The boost
in state-level funding for public schools has helped ease the burden for local
taxpayers.
Helped build more schools. Governor Bush and the Texas Legislature allocated
almost $400 million to help local school districts pay off debt service costs for school
bond programs. The state's financial commitment is making it possible for districts
to build more than $5 billion worth of new classrooms in Texas.
Increased teacher pay. The minimum salary for teachers increased 33 percent
during Governor Bush's term in office. The increase included a $3,000 across-the-
board pay raise for all Texas teachers, which the Legislature approved and Governor
Bush signed into law in 1999.
Expanded the Advanced Placement program. In 1999, Governor Bush and the
Texas Legislature boosted the amount of funding for high school advanced placement
classes from $2 million to $21 million. The additional money allows districts to
create as many as six new advanced placement classes per high school, pays up to
half the cost for the student test and pays for teacher training in the courses.
4
Focused on reading preparation. In 1999, the Legislature approved $19 million to
improve Head Start and early childhood development centers. First Lady Laura
Bush, in an effort to support the Governor's education priorities, began promoting an
early childhood development initiative in December 1998. The initiative includes
support for a competitive grant program to fund reading-readiness pilot programs for
low-income preschoolers. The Texas Legislature allocated $2 million for the grants.
Promoting Choice in Education
Governor Bush believes innovation and competition will inspire our public schools and
improve the quality of education for all students. That is why he strongly supported
efforts to expand educational opportunities in Texas including:
Charter Schools
Charter Schools are public schools created by local parents, educators, school districts,
businesses, or foundations and are open to children who meet the admission requirements
set forth in their charters. Charter schools are free from most state regulations governing
traditional public schools, provided they participate in the school finance system, adhere
to student performance requirements and meet basic constitutional guidelines. Today in
Texas there are more than 88 operational, and 168 state-approved charter schools with
more than 17,000 students. Seventy-eight percent of these students are minority children.
Tax-exempt bond financing will be available to Texas charter schools for the first time
this year because of legislation passed during the 1999 Legislative Session.
Texas charter schools enjoy widespread support from the Texas business community. In
1997 Texas business leaders established the nonprofit Charter School Resource Center to
help nurture viable and effective charter schools across the state. The center provides
professional expertise on education policy, curriculum development, and services,
including daily technical support, expertise on accounting and legal matters and business
start-up information. Other public-private partnerships include:
Financial Foundation for Texas Charter Schools, which provides early-stage
working capital at low interest rates for charter schools.
Governor's Business Council Charter School Task Force, which matches in-kind
contributions from major Texas corporations with the needs of charter schools.
Public Education Grant Program
The Public Education Grant Program (PEG) allows students in low performing schools to
transfer to another district in search of educational opportunities. Under the PEG
program, state funds for that student also shift to the new district. The program is
designed not only as an alternative for under-served students, but as a catalyst to foster
competition and creativity in the learning environment.
Contracts for Educational Services
Texas school districts are allowed more flexibility than ever before to seek out creative
alternative for at-risk or special needs students. No longer limited to public sector
solutions, districts can contract for services with private entities and organization to serve
most effectively the needs of all Texas children.
5
What Others Say
"
And on national examinations, Texas schoolchildren have begun to show up their
peers in other states. The trend has become so consistent that Texas' public school
system, long among the nation's most troubled, is viewed today by educators as an
emerging model of equity, progress and accountability."
-The New York Times, May 28, 1999
"
all I can say is that in Texas, with regard to education, George Bush has managed to
maintain the sort of system that ensures attention, support and achievement for minority
and poor kids. While he has been governor, the gap between minorities and whites has
closed rather remarkably."
-Susana Navarro, Executive Director of the El Paso Collaborative for
Academic Excellence, a nonprofit group in El Paso
"In a relatively short period of time, the whole culture of education has changed in
Texas. Today, kids of color and poor kids there are fully expected to learn."
-Richard F. Elmore, Professor, Harvard University's Graduate School
of Education
" By shining a light on the various subgroups at the same time it is raising standards,
Texas has managed to pursue both excellence and equity."
"Quality Counts," Education Week Annual Report. (Education Week
reports major improvements on national and state standardized
tests.)
"
within the past few years, Texas has become one of the highest-performing states in
the nation. While many educational reform efforts quickly buckle to union pressure or
public discontent, Texas' system has only become more rigorous over time. If this trend
continues, Texas, one of the nation's poorest states, may soon become the best place to
get an education."
-Policy Review, March, April 1998.
6
September 2, 1999
Education Policy of George W. Bush, Part I:
"NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND"
" More and more, we are divided into two nations, separate and unequal. One that reads
and one that can't. One that dreams and one that doesn' All children can learn, and no
child should be left behind.'
-Governor George W. Bush
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Governor Bush believes that all children can learn, and no child should be left
behind. That is why he considers it a scandal that the educational achievement gap
between rich and poor, Anglo and minority, is not only wide, but in key areas such
as reading, is wider today than it was in 1992. It is for this reason that he is devoting
the first of a series of education speeches to the issue of disadvantaged children in
struggling schools - and the role of Government in helping them.
As President, Governor Bush will commit his administration to closing the
achievement gap, as he is doing in Texas. During each of his years as Governor, all
ethnic groups in Texas - in all grades - have advanced in reading and math. Indeed,
according to the National Education Goals Panel, Texas is one of two states that have
made the greatest progress in education in recent years.
While the education of our children remains the primary concern of states, communities,
and parents, Governor Bush believes the federal government can - and must - help
close the achievement gap by implementing three key reforms:
To Ensure that Federal Education Programs Produce Results, Governor Bush will:
Require that federally funded programs boost student achievement, or they will be
replaced by other education programs that succeed in reducing the achievement gap.
Reform the Office of Education Research and Improvement so that it operates
independently and scientifically and empowers states with research on how to teach
children most effectively.
To Make Education the Top Priority of Head Start, Governor Bush will:
Move Head Start to the Department of Education to make school readiness -
instruction of pre-reading and numeracy skills - its top priority.
Require Head Start programs to adopt a proven core curriculum.
Award Head Start contracts on a competitive basis to spur improvements.
To Ensure that Federal Funds Underwrite Success Not Failure, Governor Bush will:
Require states to demonstrate improved academic performance for federally benefited
students in return for federal funding and unprecedented flexibility.
Award Achievement in Education" bonus funds to states and schools that are closing
the achievement gap.
Require states to offer parents of Title I students stuck in persistently failing schools
the option of using their federal education dollars to participate in a school or
program of their choice.
The National Achievement Gap Has Grown During the 1990's
" We are a nation where a majority of fourth graders in our cities can't read and
understand a simple children's book Where the achievement gap between rich and
poor, Anglo and minority, is wide - and, in some cases, growing wider still My
administration will do things differently I will carry a passion for high standards and
high hopes to the highest office in the land When we spend federal money, we want
results-especially when it comes to disadvantaged children."
-Governor George W. Bush
Governor Bush believes that all children can learn, and no child should be left behind.
That is why he considers it a scandal of the first order that the educational achievement
gap between rich and poor, Anglo and minority, is not only wide, but in some cases,
growing wider still:
Disparity between ethnic group performance on the National Assessment of
Education Progress (NAEP) has either grown or remained substantial in most subject
areas. The NAEP is currently the only nationally representative and continuing
assessment of what America's students know and can do in various subject areas.
The achievement gap on NAEP math and reading exams has widened since 1990. The
reading gap between African American and Hispanic students and White students is
larger today than it was in 1992.
The current administration concedes that 68 percent of fourth graders in the highest
poverty schools could not read in 1998 at NAEP's "basic" level. In low-poverty
schools, by contrast, more than three quarters of the children read at or above the
basic level.
In a recent report, the Citizens' Commission on Civil Rights, an advocacy group
devoted to closing the achievement gap, criticized "the widespread propensity of
school officials to maintain and tolerate a permanent underclass of low-achieving
students who are disproportionately poor and minority."
Governor Bush believes that it is precisely among these disadvantaged children in
struggling schools that educational failure exacts its highest price. He believes we owe
these children the pride and promise of learning - and that the new "knowledge-based"
economy demands it.
As President, Governor George W. Bush will commit his administration to closing the
achievement gap once and for all.
2
A Philosophy of Reform
"Some say that schools can't be expected to teach, because there are too many broken
families, too many immigrants, too much diversity. I say that pigment and poverty need
not determine performance. That myth is disproved by good schools every day. Excuse-
making must end before learning can begin.
-Governor George W. Bush
In the last several years, a movement of parents and legislators, voters and educators, has
resulted in an explosion of innovation in education. This movement is proving that public
education can be improved - quickly and dramatically. Governor Bush believes that out
of these efforts a philosophy of reform is emerging - a philosophy aimed at a culture of
excellence. That philosophy is based upon these principles:
First, schools must have clear, measurable goals. These goals should be focused
on the acquisition of basic skills and essential knowledge.
Second, there must be regular testing and measurement to ensure that the goals
are met. Education is about results, and testing helps educators and parents judge
whether the desired results are being achieved.
Third, effective reform requires accountability. The only sure way to create a
culture of excellence is to have incentives for success and consequences for
failure.
Fourth, accountability must be accompanied by local control. If schools are to be
held to high standards, they must have the freedom to meet those standards as
they think best.
Finally, competition is an essential ingredient in raising standards and creating
accountability. Only the pressure of competition - and the power of parental
choice - can change the status quo.
Governor Bush has applied these principles to education reform in Texas. As a result,
during each year of the Governor's administration, all ethnic groups in all grades have
advanced significantly in reading and math. And the performance gap has narrowed
between economically disadvantaged and minority groups and their more advantaged and
non-minority peers, whose results have also improved.
As President, Governor George W. Bush will apply these same principles to the
challenge of closing the gap nationwide.
3
The Federal Role in Education-Making Sure No Child is Left Behind
"The federal government must be humble enough to stay out of the day-to-day operation
of local schools, wise enough to give states and school districts more authority and
freedom, and strong enough to require proven performance in return."
-Governor George W. Bush
Governor Bush believes that the federal government can - and must - play a key role in
closing the achievement gap. Specifically, in return for increased federal funds and
unprecedented flexibility in using those funds, the states must be held accountable for
improving the academic achievement of students who benefit from federal assistance.
The federal government should offer incentives for success in narrowing the achievement
gap, impose consequences for failure, and encourage competition to spur action.
Accordingly, as President, Governor Bush will champion three key reforms designed to
ensure that no child is left behind.
Reform #1: Ensure that Federal Education Programs Produce Results
" We will start by funding only what works in education - only those methods and ideas
that prove their power to close the achievement gap My administration will require
every federal program-in teacher training, curriculum research, school safety-to prove
results. If it can't we will shift that money into a program that is using it wisely.'
-Governor George W. Bush
The federal government funds more than 760 different education programs. We know
that these programs produce a lot of paperwork: it is estimated that processing forms
alone requires 25,000 full-time employees. What we do not know is whether these
programs produce results. Unfortunately, federal money too often funds faddish, rather
than rigorous research, and too few federal programs are scientifically evaluated.
The Department of Education's Office of Educational Research and Improvement
(OERI) is supposed to sponsor reliable research. But despite receiving $510 million
annually, it has generally failed to fulfill its task of developing and disseminating
successful teaching techniques.
OERI's largest sponsored research program is the ten regional education laboratories,
funded at $50 million a year. Established in 1965, the labs were intended to help states
discover and implement what works in education. Instead, they have undertaken research
that is fragmented, faddish, and vulnerable to politicization. Two former Assistant
Secretaries of OERI have written that the regional labs "undertake a mishmash of
research, dissemination, and technical assistance activities, aimed mostly at state and
local education agencies the program as a whole has outlived whatever justification it
once had."
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Governor Bush believes that solid research in education can identify the most effective
means of teaching children and closing the achievement gap. For example, recent
research by the National Institutes of Health has shown conclusively that phonics-based
instruction is the best means of teaching children to read. Research on early learning must
also be a priority so that solid curricula and teaching strategies for use in Head Start and
other pre-school settings can be developed.
Therefore, as President, Governor Bush will:
Require that the Federal Investment in Education Demonstrate Results: The federal
government will insist that every program it funds will boost student achievement, or
else it will be replaced by other education programs that succeed in reducing the
achievement gap.
Reform the Office of Education Research and Improvement: In order to generate
valid research that will empower the states, districts, and educators with research-
based programs that most effectively teach children, OERI will be overhauled to
ensure that it operates independently and consistently with the standards of a science-
based research center. The regional education laboratories, which have failed to meet
their purpose of providing helpful research to states and educators, will be sunset and
opened to competitive bid.
Reform #2: Return Head Start to its Original Purpose - Education
We have learned that effective early childhood education programs can have a
tremendous bearing on the future academic success of our children. That is why
Governor Bush believes that Head Start should be reformed, not scrapped.
Head Start was established in 1965 and was originally intended as a literacy program,
designed to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged toddlers and their more
advantaged peers. Today, it is the largest federal early childhood development program,
funded at $4.4 billion a year. It currently serves more than 840,000 low-income children,
most of whom are three-and four-year-olds. It is administered through the Department of
Health and Human Services (HHS), which contracts with local providers to run the
programs.
However, instead of focusing on education, Head Start evolved largely into a day-care,
health and nutrition program, that does little to prepare children for reading and math
once they begin school. While some local Head Start programs have produced cognitive
gains for participating youngsters, there is no pervasive evidence of the educational
effectiveness of Head Start as a whole. The largest evaluation of Head Start to date, an
April 1997 GAO report summarizing the findings of nearly 600 Head Start studies, shows
that after three decades, Head Start lacks consistent results in preparing children
academically for school. While recent reforms of the Head Start program are a move in
the right direction, more can be done.
5
As President, Governor Bush will:
Move Head Start to the Department of Education: To ensure that Head Start makes
education a priority and focuses on building skills for school readiness, especially
pre-reading and numeracy, the Department of Education, not HHS, will oversee the
administration and evaluation of local Head Start programs.
Require Head Start Programs to Adopt a Proven Core Curriculum: The federal
government will identify model curricula and effective methods of teaching pre-
reading and school readiness. These research-based best practices will be made
available to local Head Start programs so they can better prepare youngsters to enter
school ready to learn.
Award Head Start Contracts on a Competitive Basis: New Head Start grants will be
open to competition and awarded on a selective basis. Upon renewal of each existing
Head Start contract, the program will be evaluated based on its effectiveness. If a
program is found ineffective in teaching pre-reading and school readiness, its contract
will be opened up for competitive bid.
Reform #3: Restructure Title I to Close the Achievement Gap
"A president is not a federal principal, and I will not be one. We must trust parents and
states and local communities to chart the path to excellence, and free them from the
burden of bureaucracy. Yet when it comes to federal money, we have a right to expect
excellence for everyone - to expect high goals and accountability the federal
government will no longer pay schools to cheat poor children.'
-Governor George W. Bush
Title I was created in 1965 as the federal government's principal means of closing the
achievement gap between the children of low-income families and their counterparts. It
currently provides $7.7 billion annually to local school districts to supplement the
education of 11 million low-income students across the country. Nearly half of all public
schools and 94 percent of all school districts now receive Title I money.
Unfortunately, little evidence exists that Title I has made any appreciable contribution to
closing the achievement gap. Two long-term studies mandated by Congress, Sustaining
Effects in the late 1970's and Prospects in the early 1990's, concluded that, after billions
of dollars in spending, Title I had achieved virtually no lasting gains in the academic
improvement of poor students. Even the most recent long-term study, the Longitudinal
Evaluation of School Change and Performance, begun after the 1994 reform of Title I,
reports disappointing results. The interim report, released to Congress in July of this year,
seems to suggest that Title I students are growing academically at less than a year's
progress for each year in school.
Governor Bush believes that we must stop using federal money to fund failure. It is time
to impose quick and rigorous consequences for performance under Title I so that we can
truly begin to close the unacceptable gap that exists between disadvantaged students and
others. Schools that produce results should be rewarded. But when a school fails - after
6
being given an opportunity to change - its Title I funds should be given directly to the
parents of eligible children for them to use for the educational program or school of their
choice.
As President, Governor Bush will administer Title I to ensure that schools have both the
pressure to perform and the freedom to succeed. Specifically, he will:
Focus Title I Funds on Earlier Grades: Students in K-12 will still be eligible for Title
I, but Title I funds will focus on students in the elementary grades, where the
achievement gap in reading and math skills begins.
Hold Schools Accountable for Performance of Title I Students: All states must
annually assess Title I students in grades 3-8 in reading and math and report the
results on a disaggregated basis. Each state that has not already done so must adopt its
own standards of acceptable student performance and institute reforms that will move
Title I students toward that standard through improved academic results, thus closing
the achievement gap.
Establish an " Achievement in Education" Fund to Reward Success: States that make
the greatest progress in closing the gap for economically disadvantaged students and
schools within each state that make the greatest gains in moving Title I students
toward the state-set standards will be rewarded significantly through an
" Achievement in Education" bonus fund.
Give Low-Performing Schools Three Years to Reform: States will have three years to
reform failing Title I schools by restructuring their management, changing personnel,
reallocating resources, taking over persistently low-performing schools or districts,
transferring education dollars to the parents, and/or implementing a school choice
system. During this time, if a state enacts a private or public school choice program, it
should be able to offer parents of Title I students in failing schools a pro-rata share of
Title I funds to help pay for these choice options.
Make Funds Portable After Three Years: If, after three years, state reforms have not
worked and the combined academic results of Title I students enrolled in a school still
do not demonstrate progress toward the state-set standard of acceptable performance,
the state will be required to:
Give Title I students in these schools the option (fully paid for) of transferring to
an acceptable school that is closing the gap for such students; or
Offer parents of these students portable funds, which can be used to obtain for
their child an education at a school of their choice or supplemental education
services. These funds (worth an average $1,500 per child) will consist of the
student's pro-rata share of Title I funds, provided by the Local Education Agency,
and an equal amount, provided by the state from its federal or state funds.
Portability would be in effect for the period of time the child would have been
enrolled in the failing school.
7
George-W. Bush Presidential Exploratory Committee, Inc.
http://www.georgewbush.com/News/September/nr9299_edu.htm
Prosperity With A Purpose
F web SITE
georgewhush com
Meet Governor
GOVERNOR BUSH VOWS TO
George W. Bush
LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND
Meet First Lady
Laura Bush
September 2, 1999
The Committee
LOS ANGELES, CA - Governor George W. Bush today gave the
first in a series of three education speeches saying, "When it comes
The Message:
to federal money, we have the right to expect excellence for
Proposals &
Policies
everyone. In my administration, federal funds will not follow
failure."
Speeches
Accomplishments
In a speech that focused on the federal government's role in helping
disadvantaged students, Governor Bush defined his view of local
News Room
control. "The federal government must be humble enough to stay out
of the day-to-day operation of local schools, wise enough to give
Tours & Events
states and school districts more authority and freedom, and strong
enough to require proven performance in return."
W.tv
Supporters
Governor Bush outlined bold public reforms aimed at closing the gap
between rich and poor students through high expectations, high
Contribute
standards and real accountability.
Volunteer
The cornerstone of the initiatives announced today is an overhaul of
E-mail
Title I, the $7.7 billion federal educational commitment to poor
children. He proposed making sure that every school getting Title I
En Español
funds tests its disadvantaged students on the academic basics every
Home
year. The state, not the federal government, will choose and
administer those tests. If the scores are improving, a school will be
rewarded with a grant and special recognition. If the disadvantaged
children are not making progress, the school will be warned that it is
failing and given time to change.
At the end of three years, if the school has not improved, the Title I
funding will be matched with other federal education money given to
the state and made available to parents for tutoring, a charter school,
another public school that is showing success, or a private school -
whatever the parents choose.
"In the best case, these schools will rise to the challenge and regain
the confidence of parents. In the worst case, we will offer
scholarships to America's neediest children, allowing them to get the
emergency help they should have. In any case, the federal
government will no longer pay schools to cheat poor children," said
Governor Bush.
The most recent studies of Title I show no lasting gains in the
academic improvement of poor children. The interim report of the
Longitudinal Evaluation of School Change and Performance shows
that Title I students are growing academically at less than a year's
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George W. Bush Presidential Exploratory Committee, Inc.
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progress for each year in school.
Governor Bush also proposed improving the Head Start program to
make sure that it is an education program that prepares young
children for the academic years ahead. As President, he would move
Head Start from the Department of Health and Human Services to
the Department of Education. -more-
"We now have compelling evidence that children ages three and four
can begin to read. We also have a massive Head Start program,
serving 840,000 disadvantaged children at just those ages," said
Governor Bush. "This is a perfect fit. My administration will reform
Head Start programs and aggressively emphasize early reading
skills."
The Department of Education will provide a recommended
curriculum to Head Start programs that includes the "best practices,"
reliable scientific information on the best methods of teaching. After
an evaluation of the Head Start programs, renewal contracts will only
be given to those who use the curriculum to prepare the children.
Programs that don't will be discontinued and the contract will be
opened to competitive bid.
Governor Bush believes that solid research in education can identify
the most effective means of teaching children and closing the
achievement gap. He proposed reforming the Office of Education
Research and Improvement (OERI) to ensure that it generates valid
research that will empower the states, districts, and educators with
research-based programs.
Governor Bush vowed to make sure that educators are provided with
the best information on effective teaching methods including "one
area where the teaching research is definitive: The best way to teach
children to read is phonics. No new theory or method has ever
improved on it. The National Institutes of Health - in the kind of
rigorous research we need - has proven that phonics works and that
children can learn to read much earlier than we assumed."
Governor Bush spoke to the Latin Business Association's (LBA)
Annual Expo. The LBA assists Latino entrepreneurs in gaining
entrance to and flourishing in the business world. Governor Bush
told the organization why he chose their event to unveil his first
education proposal saying, "I am here with you today because you
are leaders and because you embody the permanent hope, the durable
dream, of this nation: to build a better life for ourselves and our
children."
"You and I know that wealth is more than a static resource, to be
hoarded and counted. Ultimately wealth is found in imagination and
work and education - the hallmarks of the entrepreneur. Education,
in particular, can predict the future earnings of an individual, and the
economic future of a nation. There is no better weapon against
poverty, because there is no better weapon against despair."
"The enormous frustration with public education in America leads to
two temptations. One is to dictate local policies from Washington.
But this is an approach that has been discredited by 30 years of
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George. W. Bush Presidential Exploratory Committee, Inc.
http://www.georgewbush.com/News/September/nr9299_edu.htm
failure. Our schools do not need more bureaucratic oversight, they
need pressure to perform and the freedom to change. But there is
another temptation - to give up on public education entirely. To talk
only of ending agencies or slashing programs. But this approach is
too limited. One sixth of the American population is in public
schools. The content of their education will determine the character
of our country."
He concluded, "Our common good is found in our common schools.
And we must make those schools worthy of all of our children.
Whatever their background, their cause is our cause, and it must not
be lost."
Disclaimer
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