This letter to the editor from Donna Foxley appeared in the News Tribune (WA) on September 18, 2005.

John Burbank's Sept. 7 column ("Schools need big investment of money, not rhetoric") inaccurately portrayed the No Child Left Behind Act, the national law that has significantly reformed K-12 education in America. I would like to clarify a few important issues.

The act is founded on the fundamental belief that all children can learn when our schools believe in them and hold them to high standards. All 50 states have chosen to participate in No Child Left Behind. And in return for unprecedented funding increases, states have agreed to hold schools and districts accountable for raising student achievement. This is a national commitment, not rhetoric.

Here are the facts. Since the law was enacted, federal spending on elementary and secondary education has risen by 38 percent. The president's FY 2006 budget includes nearly $388 million just for No Child Left Behind in Washington state, a 56 percent increase since 2001, and an additional $213 million for special education, an 80 percent increase since 2001.

But far more important than the historic increases in federal support is the accountability for results embedded in No Child Left Behind. Even before the law, Washington was moving in this direction. Washington's WASL effort is part of its own plan to hold schools accountable for making progress toward having all students proficient in reading and math by 2014. This will meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind.

The state sets the standard for adequate yearly progress (AYP) and works with local schools and districts to help them achieve the goals. For example, if a school does not make AYP for two straight years, it is identified by the state as "in need of improvement" and receives extra help to improve. And in the meantime, parents are given more options for their children to help them excel.

The good news is that No Child Left Behind is working. In Washington, and the nation as a whole, student achievement is rising and the achievement gap is closing. In Washington, for example, the percentage of seventh-graders meeting state standards in reading has increased from 47.9 percent in 2003 to 68.7 percent in 2005. And the percentage meeting state standards in math has increased from 36.8 percent to 50.5 percent.

On the national level, the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report shows that 9-year-olds are posting the best scores in reading and math in the history of the test, which dates back to 1971 for reading and 1973 for math.

The report also shows that achievement gaps in reading and math between white and African American 9-year-olds and between white and Hispanic 9-year-olds are the smallest in the history of the test. More than half the historically unprecedented gains in reading seen over the history of the report period came in the last five years.

These results are a tribute to students, teachers, parents, principals, school administrators, and state and national policymakers.

It is clear that No Child Left Behind is working to raise student achievement in the earlier grades. But now we must stay the course as we work together to ensure that our high school students also make the unprecedented progress that we are seeing with our younger students.

So where do we go from here? The U.S. Department of Education will be flexible, but some things are non-negotiable. For instance, closing the achievement gap, raising student achievement and measuring progress are non-negotiable.

The Education Department will continue to focus on and develop policies that will raise the achievement levels of all students and prepare them for future success. The department is looking at states that are staying the course and will consider increasing flexibility that will enhance the progress they are making. These practices would be shared so that others may learn from their success.

Education is a civil right. We must ensure that the education of every child in the state of Washington and the entire country is second to none. Their future and the future of our great nation demand nothing less.

Donna Foxley, based in Seattle, is the Region X representative for the U.S. Department of Education.