This letter to the editor by Secretary Rod Paige appeared in The Wheeling News-Register (West Virginia) on September 7, 2003.
Editor, News-Register:
I read with interest your recent editorial calling on the National Education Association to give the No Child Left Behind law a chance to work. I couldn't agree more. Now is not the time to throw up roadblocks in the way of real educational reform for our children.
As children across the country begin a new school year, news reports from across the nation indicate that No Child Left Behind is already making a positive difference in the lives of thousands of parents and students. Teachers and principals are redoubling their efforts to make sure that every child is learning.
Just last month the U.S. Department of Education announced a multiyear Reading First grant for West Virginia totaling $43.8 million over six years. This money will be used to help schools and districts in the state improve children's reading achievement through scientifically proven methods of instruction. It is a key component of No Child Left Behind's effort to make sure every child can read by the third grade.
True reform is never easy. But with a record level of federal investment in education (total K-12 federal spending has already increased $6.4 billion in just two years and another large increase is expected for next year), new options and choices for parents, and unprecedented flexibility for state and local officials, the No Child Left Behind law is in a position to help all our children succeed.
And that's great news for every parent, every teacher, every school leader, and every student in West Virginia and throughout the United States.
Rod Paige
Secretary of Education
U.S. Department of Education
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