ATLANTA, Ga. (April 9) - Olympic Silver medalist Shannon Bahrke and Atlanta Falcons fullback Bob Christian today joined U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige on his No Child Left Behind Tour Across America to reach out to Atlanta parents about the importance of this new law and to ask parents for their help in improving our local schools.

"For education to be transformed and schools to be improved, parents must let their local schools know they support this bipartisan law," Secretary Paige said to a community rally at the Cobb Galleria Center. "Parents must expect the law to be implemented and do their part to help teachers, and track their schools' improvement."

Atlanta is the second stop on the 25-city tour. Secretary Paige aims to reach out to parents and working families to ask for their active participation in this process of improving America's schools. Paige kicked off the tour yesterday in Albuquerque, N.M.

"The most important help of all will be parents who care, parents who read with their children, parents who are informed that they can best get their child educated," added Secretary Paige.

Paige introduced new resources for parents, including a No Child Left Behind toolkit that offers an interactive CD and guidebooks on "What to Know and Where to Go" to answer questions and find resources for local information. The new Web site, www.NoChildLeftBehind.gov, also is a virtual one-stop shop for parents and families, teachers and principals, local and state officials and members of the business and civic communities.

Under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which President Bush signed in January, states and school districts will develop strong systems of accountability based upon student performance. The new law also gives states and school districts increased local control and flexibility, removing federal red tape and bureaucracy and putting decision making in the hands of those at the local and state levels. Parents of children from disadvantaged backgrounds will have options under the new law to participate in public school choice programs or obtain supplemental services such as tutoring. And, teachers around the country will be encouraged to use teaching methods based upon scientific research that show they have been proven to work.

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