Bush Touts No Child Left Behind

CHICAGO – President Bush came to Chicago Monday to promote No Child Left Behind and lay the groundwork for renewal of his signature domestic initiative – a once-popular education reform that’s quickly losing its luster.

Standing in the library of Greeley Elementary School on the North Side, Bush praised the law and pushed Congress to extend it before he leaves office.

"I know No Child Left Behind has worked and I believe this country needs to build upon the successes," Bush said. "We worked together to get the bill written in the first place, and I believe we can work together to get it re-authorized."

But critics and supporters alike say that timely renewal of the law is unlikely, given Bush’s lack of political capital and a presidential election campaign that has seen Democratic candidates bash the law and Republicans offer tepid support.

Moments after Bush delivered his remarks, critics and some Democratic lawmakers voiced displeasure with the law _ and with the president.

"Time and time again, the Bush administration has failed to stand behind the promise made to children and their families to provide additional resources schools desperately need to help all students succeed," said Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who was a key sponsor and is working on the renewal bill. "In this year’s re-authorization, we have a responsibility to … fix what hasn’t worked under the No Child Left Behind Act."

Bush and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings visited the high-performing, high-poverty Greeley as part of the sixth anniversary of the law. Bush also met with members of the Chicago Olympic committee, offering support for the city’s effort to land the 2016 games and delivered a speech on the economy at the Chicago Union League.

No Child Left Behind, the most far-reaching federal education reform in decades, requires that schools test students in math and reading in grades 3 to 8 and once in high school. Schools that fail to meet the standards face a series of escalating sanctions that, ultimately, could lead to closure.

The law was passed with strong bipartisan support.

Republicans were enamored with the accountability piece, and Democrats liked that it focused more money and attention on the performance of low-income and minority students.

But the centrist coalition that got the law approved has since splintered.

Republicans and many governors now say they resent the federal intrusion into local schools. Democrats and the teachers’ unions argue the law was never fully funded and focuses too much on punishments.

"This was a fragile coalition from the outset," said Michael Petrilli, who served in the Education Department during Bush’s first term and now works at the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation. "It’s becoming tougher and tougher to hold it together."

It doesn’t help that, despite Bush’s pronouncements, the nation’s children have made just modest gains on national math exams and little progress in reading.

Students are showing improvement on many state exams. But state education officials nationwide _ including Illinois _ have watered down local tests so much that it’s difficult to determine real progress.

"Bush can go out there all he wants and give the erroneous impression that the law is working, but people know the truth," said Reg Weaver, president of the 3.2 million-member National Education Association. "It’s not just teachers, but Congress, state lawmakers and parents who want to see some major changes to this law."

Even critics say the law should be altered, not scrapped. But there is widespread disagreement on how to change it, specifically how to measure student progress and judge schools.

Many educators want the law altered to allow schools credit for softer measures of achievement, such as improved attendance, graduation and enrollment in advanced placement classes. They also want changes to how special education and non-English speaking students are tested.

Bush has signaled his willingness to support some "sensible" changes. But he vowed Monday that he would veto any bill that dramatically weakens the law.

"The act (law) will continue on _ in other words, this act isn’t expiring, it just needs to be re-authorized," he said.

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(Chicago Tribune correspondent Carlos Sadovi contributed to this report.)