Tennesseean Senator and Senate majority leader Bill Frist (R) sticks his neck out to defend the No Child Left Behind Act in front of a most-likely-skeptical audience of educators:
''I firmly believe it would be a tragedy to not hold schools accountable for all students in that school,'' Frist, R-Tenn., told about 400 people at the Education Leaders Council conference in Nashville. ''We will not turn our backs on any single child.'' Because he is the Senate majority leader, Frist's support is a strong indicator that President Bush and Education Secretary Rod Paige are not planning to back down from the tough standards imposed on schools by the law.
The 2-year-old law went into effect this year with a roar after standardized test results showed that thousands of schools failed to ensure success for students in one or more eight subgroups, including ethnic origins, special education and limited English proficiency. In Tennessee, 47% of schools failed to meet all the standards...
Frist countered what he called a ''myth'' that the law could ultimately ruin public schools because of its tough sanctions on schools that repeatedly fail to meet standards. Those sanctions could include conversion to charter schools or school takeover by the state.
''The intent is to strengthen, to strengthen the public school system and to make sure all children learn,'' Frist said. ''It's as simple as that. By holding the school accountable for results, we force schools to pay attention to students that have been ignored for far too long.''
Posted by kswygert at September 22, 2003 10:40 AM