This letter to the editor by Secretary Rod Paige appeared in The New Britain Herald (Connecticut) on April 16, 2003.
Dear Editor:
Considering the No Child Left Behind Act's historic increase in federal funding for education and the unprecedented flexibility the law provides for how those funds are used, it would seem the Southington Board of Education's description of the law as a burden should not be given too much weight.
Most distressing of all is the Board's suggestion that all kids can't learn. Some call this the "soft bigotry" of low expectations, but it's still bigotry. Having attended a segregated school when I was growing up and having served as the superintendent of a school district that was 35 percent African American and 54 percent Hispanic, I have firsthand experience with the tremendous effort it takes to close the achievement gap in our schools. If you start with the attitude that some of the kids in your school can't learn, you might as well let a jeering mob stand at the schoolhouse door and block those students from coming in—the difference is negligible. There is no room for that kind of attitude in the public schools President Bush envisions.
Perhaps it is just a matter of attitude, but states, cities, parents, teachers, principals, and education leaders all across the country are using No Child Left Behind to make a real difference in the lives of all of the children in their communities. In Kansas, the law is helping improve rural schools. In New York City, thousands of parents now have new options and new choices. In Maryland, they've strengthened an already impressive accountability system to make sure every child is learning.
The contention that the law "further separates the rich from the poor" is just plain wrong. In fact, this law is doing more to help low-income students than perhaps any federal education measure passed in a generation. By specifically requiring states to monitor the progress of low-income students and ensuring accountability, the law now makes it impossible for schools to let those students slide along through an indifferent system.
Because of the bipartisan No Child Left Behind law, states all across the country are making real progress in achieving our common goal of educating every child, regardless of income, background, or Zip Code. If your readers are interested in learning more, they can visit the No Child Left Behind Web site at www.nclb.gov.
By Rod Paige
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