More Resources President's Remarks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- President Bush today visited Kirkpatrick Elementary School to highlight the progress of states and school districts in implementing the "supplemental educational services" provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act. U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige joined the president at today's event.

Supplemental educational services are after-school tutoring and other educational enrichment programs that children from low-income families can receive if they attend schools that are identified as needing improvement under the act.

"For too long, education has operated like a monopoly, shuffling students through the system. The needs of the system outweighed the needs of the children in it," Secretary Paige said. "Now, the focus is on the child. Thanks to No Child Left Behind, disadvantaged students can get extra help when they need it, through extra services like tutoring, remedial education, extra classes, summer school, after-school programs and other supplemental academic services to help boost their achievement."

President Bush signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law on Jan. 8, 2002. The law requires states and school districts to implement strong accountability systems to ensure that every child in America is receiving a quality education.

If a school is identified by its state for two or more years as not making the progress required to ensure that every child is at grade level proficient in reading and math, the low-income students attending the school must be offered the opportunity to receive "supplemental educational services."

Some of the key elements of the supplemental educational services of the law are:

• Parental Choice -- All students enrolled in an eligible school who are from low-income families must be given the opportunity to receive these services. The parents of those children then select the services they believe are most appropriate for their child.

• Focus on High Academic Achievement -- Any type of for-profit or nonprofit entity (including businesses, faith- and community-based organizations, schools and even individuals) can become a provider of supplemental educational services. But in order to become an approved provider in a state, an entity must demonstrate to the state that it provides high-quality services and has a record of improving student achievement.

• Accountability for Results -- Providers must enter into contracts with local school districts specifying a timetable for improving a child's academic achievement. States must withdraw approval from any provider that fails, over a two-year period, to meet its goals for raising achievement.

As of early September 2003, 42 states and the District of Columbia have posted lists of supplemental service providers online. State lists include a total of 1,405 providers, a net increase of 141 during the month of August alone. These providers include private companies (795), local education agencies and public schools (401), colleges and universities (32) and others (36).

The After-School Program in Nashville

Parents of eligible students in Nashville can select from 12 different supplemental service providers during the 2003-04 school year. The school district offers parents numerous opportunities to learn about supplemental services and provider options through vendor fairs, parental notices, telephone calls to parents, community bulletin board notices and other means.

President Bush's remarks from today's event are available online today at www.whitehouse.gov.

For more information about the supplemental services provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act, visit www.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/suppservices/index.html.

###

Top

Back to September 2003