since this next debate is on domestic issues...

[newscaster]

To: National and State Desks, Education and Political Reporters

Contact: Aimee Scribner, 916-541-1842 or [e-mail], for Stanford University and University of California

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SACRAMENTO, Calif, Oct. 7 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Children's reading scores have stalled or declined in the nation's largest states since Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, according to new data released by governors and state school chiefs.

Traveling the campaign trail, President Bush frequently reiterates support for his controversial "No Child" school accountability reforms. In King ofPrussia, Pa. last month, Mr. Bush said, "We're making progress. We're closing the achievement gap."

Yet many states have now released trend data, tracking children's progress in acquiring basic reading skills through last spring's exams. Since passage of Mr. Bush's signature education policy, student performance leveled-off or fell in 11 of the 15 states participating in the study, according to researchers at Stanford University and the University of California.

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Children's reading scores in elementary schools have remained unchanged or declined in California, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, NewYork, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the data released by each state's education department.

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Mr. Bush's education secretary, Rod Paige, speaking before the Republican National Convention in New York City, said, "All across America, test scores are rising, students are learning, the achievement gap is closing."

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National testing and policy experts provided independent review of the study, including Dr. Joan Herman, UCLA (310-206-1532); Prof. Luis Huerta, Columbia University (212-531-1638); and Prof. Robert Linn, University of Colorado (303-492-8280).

[billybob537]

1. This is the same thing

he did in Texas, if your school didn't perform he sliced your funding. This caused educators to falsify records and fudge test results. Texas is still trying to recover from GWB Education horror story.