BUSH’S BROKEN PROMISES TO AMERICAN SCHOOLS
Under-Funded No Child Left Behind by $27 Billion. Bush’s last four budgets have cumulatively provided $27 billion less than what was pledged under NCLB. [President’s FY 2005 Budget,
www.ed.gov; historical data at
www.ed.gov]
Cut Funding for the School District He Praises Today. In today’s radio address, George Bush praises a school district in Asheville, North Carolina. Yet George Bush cut Title I funding for that district by more than $100,000. North Carolina has been one of the nation’s leaders in education reform since the era of Jim Hunt, North Carolna’s “Education Governor.” [Center for American Progress, 04/06/04]
Proposed Cutting 500,000 Children from Afterschool Programs. In his 2004 budget, George Bush proposed cutting afterschool funding by 40%, cutting off afterschool opportunities for 500,000 children. [
www.afterschoolalliance.org; ed.gov, FY 2004 Budget data]
BUSH’S FAILURE TO REFORM HIGH SCHOOLS IN TEXAS AND ACROSS AMERICA
Bush and Paige’s “Texas Miracle” Exposed As a “Tall Tale.” Bush modeled No Child Left Behind after the “Texas Miracle” over which Rod Paige presided as superintendent of Houston schools. Yet, a Texas Education Agency probe into 16 Houston schools found widespread fraud and misreporting. “Houston as a whole reported a 1.5 percent annual dropout rate, though education experts estimate that the true percentage of students who quit before graduation is nearer 40 percent.” Other experts placed Houston’s dropout rate as high as 50 percent. [Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2004; New York Times, 7/26/2003; New York Times, 7/11/2003; 60 Minutes, 1/7/04]
One-Third of American Students Allowed To Drop-Out. The national graduation rate “is not the widely broadcast 85 percent,” but closer to 68 percent. In fact, about half of African-American Latino, and American Indian youths do not finish high school. [Education Week, 7/28/04; Harvard Civil Rights Project, 2/04]
JOHN KERRY HAS A REAL PLAN FOR AMERICA’S HIGH SCHOOLS
In May 2004, John Kerry announced a detailed agenda to strengthen American high school education. Yet again, President Bush has chosen to follow John Kerry’s lead on an issue Bush has failed to address for more than three years. John Kerry will:
Honor the Provisions of NCLB Requiring Accountability for Graduation Rates. John Kerry will make sure that NCLB requires accountability for graduation rates. He will require uniform and accurate data on graduation rates from all schools and districts and require disaggregation of graduation data so we know that all groups are achieving. [The Kerry-Edwards Plan For One Million More Americans To Graduate High School,
http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/educ...raduation.html]
Support Development of a Rigorous High School Curriculum. John Kerry will fund a national initiative to align the academic standards (not specific content) in high school with the knowledge and skills required for college and work, and he will provide incentives for states to ensure that their curricula meet these broad standards.
Support Expanded Literacy Programs and Other Outreach to At-Risk Kids. For those students who struggle with basic skills, he will support expanded adolescent literacy programs and has also proposed an expansion in targeted college readiness programs like GEAR UP.
Break Up Troubled Large High Schools. John Kerry will support efforts to build smaller schools, break up troubled big high schools into component parts, and make schools places where students feel more at home.