This letter to the editor by Kristine Cohn, the Secretary's Regional Representative in Region V, appeared in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune on February 6, 2007.

A Jan. 27 editorial claimed that in his State of the Union address, President Bush "stretche[d] the truth" about academic progress under the No Child Left Behind Act while making "no mention of changes" to the law.

The president outlined a forward-looking plan for No Child Left Behind reauthorization this year, which would strengthen reading and math education through research-based instructional methods. His plan would add assessments and accountability in high schools, which your newspaper acknowledges have not kept pace academically. It would encourage more rigorous and advanced coursework for high school students, to prepare them for success in college or the 21st century workforce.

Finally, it would give parents of children stuck in underperforming schools more tutoring and school choice options.

According to the most recent National Assessments of Educational Progress (NAEP), reading and math scores for fourth-graders and 9-year-olds in our country have reached highs under NCLB. So have math scores for eighth-graders and 13-year-olds. And achievement gaps between African-American and Hispanic 9-year-olds and their white peers in both subjects have narrowed to all-time lows. Reports of progress have not been exaggerated.

This record has been aided by a significant increase in overall federal education spending since 2001 - 84 percent higher for Minnesota alone. But we cannot rest until all children can read and do math at grade level or better.

No Child Left Behind has sparked a nationwide debate over how to challenge our students to reach their full potential. I welcome the Star Tribune's contribution to this debate - while challenging you to get it right.

Kristine Cohn
Secretary's Regional Representative, Region V
Chicago