U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today joined President Bush for the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 - a historic new law that will change the culture of America's schools and, most important, improve student achievement in classrooms across the country.

President Bush signed the legislation at Hamilton High School in Hamilton, Ohio - the first of three stops scheduled for today to discuss the new law with Americans. The president, Secretary Paige and the members of Congress who led the effort to pass the bill also will visit the University of New Hampshire in Durham, N.H., and Boston Latin School in Boston, Mass.

The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 passed both houses of Congress by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in December, fulfilling President Bush's promise to offer America's students meaningful education reform as his foremost domestic policy priority.

"A year ago, President Bush set out to improve every public school in this country - to ensure that students of all races, all abilities and all ages receive the education they need and deserve," Paige said. "Today, with the stroke of his pen, President Bush changed the culture of education in America and kept his promise to leave no child behind."

Under the new law, states and school districts will develop strong systems of accountability based upon student performance. The new law also gives those 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 that are based upon scientific research demonstrating that they work.

"Education is a national priority, and for the first time federal policies will focus squarely on improving student achievement," Paige said. "For too long, many of our schools did a good job educating some of our children. With this new law, we'll make sure we're providing ALL of our children with access to a high-quality education."

Paige also said that he looks forward to working with state and local education leaders and others to develop partnerships with the states to make sure the reforms contained in the bill will benefit all American students.

"The U.S. Department of Education is committed to being a full partner with state leaders and our local schools to help put this new law into action," Paige said. "We'll be building strong relationships with the people who are on the front lines of education - parents, teachers, state leaders, school administrators - and we'll be engaging the entire country in a conversation about how we will work together to help our schools and our teachers make sure every child learns and grows."

Among other provisions, the Act will:

• Enhance accountability for results by requiring states to issue annual report cards on school performance and statewide results;
• Authorize $400 million to help states design and administer tests for students in grades 3 through 8 that are aligned to state standards for what a child should be able to know and do in the basic subjects of reading and math;
• Provide unprecedented state and local flexibility for all 50 states and every local school district in America in the use of federal education funds;
• Give parents of children in failing schools the option to transfer their child to a better-performing public or charter school, and - where failure persists - it will allow federal Title I funds to be used to provide supplemental education services (including tutoring, after-school services and summer school programs);
• Triple the federal funding investment in reading and ensure that teachers are using instructional methods that have been proven to work through Reading First; and
• Invest almost $3 billion in improving teacher quality this year alone while asking states to put a highly qualified teacher in every public school classroom by 2005.

"This historic law offers all of us the promise of stronger accountability for results, more flexibility and local control, expanded options for parents and an emphasis on teaching methods that have been proven to work," Paige said. "I'm looking forward to the important work ahead so that together we will make sure that no child in America is left behind."

For more information about the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, visit www.ed.gov/nclb.

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