In response to George Bush’s Saturday radio Address, Kerry spokesman Phil Singer
released the following statement: “Today, George Bush once again showed that
he won’t let facts get in the way of his campaign. Thousands of schools are
falling short of the law’s targets because the President has fallen $27 billion
short of his own promises to fund the initiative. If George Bush were getting
graded for his implementation of No Child Left Behind, he’d get an ‘F.’ When
John Kerry is president, he will fulfill the promise of No Child Left Behind by
making sure that there’s a good teacher in every classroom and students get the
help they need after school.”
BUSH’S BROKEN PROMISES TO AMERICAN SCHOOLS
Under-Funded No Child Left Behind by $27 Billion. Bush’s last four budgets have
cumulatively provided $27 billion less than what was pledged under NCLB.
[President’s FY 2005 Budget, www.ed.gov; historical data at www.ed.gov]
Cut Funding for the School District He Praises Today. In today’s radio address,
George Bush praises a school district in Asheville, North Carolina. Yet George
Bush cut Title I funding for that district by more than $100,000. North
Carolina has been one of the nation’s leaders in education reform since the era
of Jim Hunt, North Carolna’s “Education Governor.” [Center for American
Progress, 04/06/04]
Proposed Cutting 500,000 Children from Afterschool Programs. In his 2004
budget, George Bush proposed cutting afterschool funding by 40%, cutting off
afterschool opportunities for 500,000 children. [www.afterschoolalliance.org;
ed.gov, FY 2004 Budget data]
BUSH’S FAILURE TO REFORM HIGH SCHOOLS IN TEXAS AND ACROSS AMERICA
Bush and Paige’s “Texas Miracle” Exposed As a “Tall Tale.” Bush modeled No Child
Left Behind after the “Texas Miracle” over which Rod Paige presided as
superintendent of Houston schools. Yet, a Texas Education Agency probe into 16
Houston schools found widespread fraud and misreporting. “Houston as a whole
reported a 1.5 percent annual dropout rate, though education experts estimate
that the true percentage of students who quit before graduation is nearer 40
percent.” Other experts placed Houston’s dropout rate as high as 50 percent.
[Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2004; New York Times, 7/26/2003; New York Times,
7/11/2003; 60 Minutes, 1/7/04]
One-Third of American Students Allowed To Drop-Out. The national graduation rate
“is not the widely broadcast 85 percent,” but closer to 68 percent. In fact,
about half of African-American Latino, and American Indian youths do not finish
high school. [Education Week, 7/28/04; Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2/04]
JOHN KERRY HAS A REAL PLAN FOR AMERICA’S HIGH SCHOOLS
In May 2004, John Kerry announced a detailed agenda to strengthen American high
school education. Yet again, President Bush has chosen to follow John Kerry’s
lead on an issue Bush has failed to address for more than three years. John
Kerry will:
Honor the Provisions of NCLB Requiring Accountability for Graduation Rates. John
Kerry will make sure that NCLB requires accountability for graduation rates. He
will require uniform and accurate data on graduation rates from all schools and
districts and require disaggregation of graduation data so we know that all
groups are achieving. [The Kerry-Edwards Plan For One Million More Americans To
Graduate High School, http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/education
graduation.html]
Support Development of a Rigorous High School Curriculum. John Kerry will fund a
national initiative to align the academic standards (not specific content) in
high school with the knowledge and skills replaced for college and work, and he
will provide incentives for states to ensure that their curricula meet these
broad standards.
Support Expanded Literacy Programs and Other Outreach to At-Risk Kids. For those
students who struggle with basic skills, he will support expanded adolescent
literacy programs and has also proposed an expansion in targeted college
readiness programs like GEAR UP.
Break Up Troubled Large High Schools. John Kerry will support efforts to build
smaller schools, break up troubled big high schools into component parts, and
make schools places where students feel more at home.
http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/releases/pr_2004_0821a.html
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