USAToday OP-ed debate: Kerry versus Bush fan on No Child Left Behind Law

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http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-07-14-oppose_x.htm

True reform calls for a plan By John Kerry

America's greatest promise is its simplest: the opportunity for all of our children to fulfill their God-given potential.

Nothing is more critical to that promise than education. Regardless of income, race or neighborhood, America's families should be able to send their children to top-notch public schools that challenge students with high standards, nurture them with loving care and give them the skills they will need to succeed.

We're a long way from that goal. But I know we can get there.

No Child Left Behind made an important promise — asking more from schools and making sure they can get the job done.

Today that promise is being broken. When I am president, we will fulfill it. That means providing the resources to hire more teachers, buy more textbooks and develop better tests that measure all of the skills children need. It also means making sure the law works for our kids. After sharp criticism from Republicans and Democrats alike, President Bush changed key rules so they imposed high standards but reflected common sense. We need to continue on the path of progress and help turn around schools in trouble, not just dictate to them.

The biggest mistake would be to believe one law can do the job. But No Child Left Behind is only one step.

That's why I've offered a plan to finish the job of education reform. My plan will help put a great teacher in every classroom — by offering teachers more training, support and pay, especially when they go into struggling schools or excel in the classroom.

We'll also establish better tests for new teachers and ensure fast, fair ways to make sure those who don't belong in the classroom don't stay there. My plan will invest in after-school programs that give students extra help and give parents peace of mind. We'll set high standards for graduating more students — tracking schools' progress more carefully and tutoring more children on the edge of failure. And we will rebuild the schools that are falling apart.

I've always said reform without resources is a waste of time, but resources without reform are a waste of money. When I'm president, we'll have both — and we'll give our children the opportunities they deserve.



http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion/editorials/2004-07-14-our-view_x.htm

List Kerry as absent on school accountability

Bridget Dean, principal of Barrister Elementary School in Baltimore's impoverished Pigtown neighborhood, has something to say to critics who claim the federal school-accountability law is too harsh and unfair to poor and minority students: You're wrong.<snip>

Kerry bashed the law during the primaries and complains that it is underfunded, though he voted for it and says he favors the tough accountability provisions at its core. But he hasn't campaigned for a principle advanced by Bush and rejected by the NEA, reinforcing critics' portrait of him as a waffler.

He can shed that reputation by creating another "Sister Souljah moment." In 1992, then-presidential candidate Bill Clinton attacked the African-American rapper for suggesting that blacks kill whites instead of other blacks. His criticism angered black Democratic Party leaders, but made him look independent and decisive.

Kerry's "moment" would look like this: He thanks the NEA for fielding one of the largest grassroots operations on his behalf, then tells the teachers going door to door for his campaign that a Kerry administration would make the law even tougher.

Kerry, who favors several sound educational reforms, is far from that stance now. His Web site calls for weakening accountability measures to include factors other than student academic achievement, such as attendance and parental satisfaction.

Kerry's aides say the Web site is outdated because some of the law's requirements were eased recently. They say they'll soon post a new position that calls for strengthening the law by focusing on such areas as poor graduation rates. <snip>