This letter to the editor by Secretary Rod Paige appeared in The Christian Science Monitor on February 19, 2004.
I read with interest your Feb. 17 article "Parents: Don't Punish Schools." Of course, parental approval of No Child Left Behind is vital to its success. I'm glad most parents see the law's goals as important.
But some of the questions in the poll are misleading and reflect a deep misunderstanding of the law. For example, schools that need improvement are given extra federal resources to help children get the quality education they deserve. They are not "sanctioned." Under the law, states set the standards for quality teaching and accountability, and states, not the federal government, decide the content of the tests.
The article also incorrectly states that the Opinion Research Corporation's poll is the first since the law was passed. There have been several polls, including one by Americans for Better Education that found No Child Left Behind is viewed favorably by a majority of parents (54 to 23 percent), that parents in public schools favor the law (by a 61 to 22 margin), and that parents favor raising standards and accountability more than funding (60 to 30 percent).
No Child Left Behind makes education more successful, inclusive, fair, and accessible, not by lowering standards but by lifting the school systems to higher expectations.
Rod Paige
Washington
Secretary, US Department of Education
####
 |
||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||
| |
||||||||||||
