President Bush begins the crucial stretch of his bid for a second term with plans to build on the No Child Left Behind Act by expanding educational accountability in the high school grades.
鈥淚n our high schools, we will fund early-intervention programs to help students at risk,鈥� the president said as he accepted the Republican nomination here on Sept. 2.
鈥淲e will place a new focus on math and science,鈥� he added. 鈥淎s we make progress, we will require a rigorous exam before graduation.鈥�
Mr. Bush stressed a theme that builds on his signature education program: Upon graduation from high school, students must be ready to go to college or be qualified to step into high-wage jobs.
鈥淚n this time of change, most new jobs are filled by people with at least two years of college, yet only about one in four students gets there,鈥� he said.
The new language 鈥渂uilds on the platform set up by No Child Left Behind,鈥� said Tucker Eskew, a senior adviser to the Bush campaign and a former White House aide to Mr. Bush.
But education appears destined to be trumped as a campaign issue by debates over the war in Iraq and terrorism. That was the case last week at the Republican National Convention, which drew thousands of delegates and other party faithful and tens of thousands of protesters to the city that never sleeps.
Though security was the recurring issue for the GOP鈥攁s it was for the Democrats who convened in Boston in July鈥攕peakers here often struck the theme of education reform, a front-burner issue for Mr. Bush during his 2000 presidential campaign.
During the Aug. 30-Sept. 2 convention at Madison Square Garden, Republicans dropped education nuggets throughout evening speeches.
Paige Defends Law
Secretary of Education Rod Paige vigorously defended the No Child Left Behind Act.
鈥淎ll across America, test scores are rising,鈥� he said during his Aug. 31 speech. 鈥淪tudents are learning. The achievement gap is closing. Teachers and principals are beaming with pride.鈥�
But there鈥檚 more work to be done, Mr. Paige said. 鈥淲e can either build on these achievements,鈥� he said, 鈥渙r return to the days of excuses and indifference.鈥�
First lady Laura Bush, a former teacher and school librarian, said, 鈥淲hen my husband took office, too many schools were leaving too many children behind, so he worked with Congress to pass sweeping education reform. . We are determined to provide a quality education for every child in America.鈥�
Even Vice President Dick Cheney, who rarely pays public attention to education policy, addressed the topic in his speech. He criticized Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, the Democratic presidential nominee, over what he claimed was a waffling position on the law.
Sen. Kerry 鈥渉as, in the last several years, been for the No Child Left Behind Act and against it,鈥� Mr. Cheney contended.
Both Sen. Kerry and his running mate, Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina, voted for the measure when it passed Congress with overwhelming bipartisan support in 2001. As a candidate, Mr. Kerry has criticized the Bush administration over its funding of the law.
During convention week, education-minded politicians visited schools around New York City and spread the campaign鈥檚 message.
At a gathering to highlight charter schools and choice in education, Secretary of Agriculture Ann M. Veneman, whose department oversees the federal school lunch program, talked of going beyond the requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act.
鈥淣o Child Left Behind became law, and our schools and our children are now better for it,鈥� Ms. Veneman said. 鈥淏ut President Bush is not content to stop there. . Now the president鈥檚 set a new goal: that every high school graduate is ready for work or college.鈥�
While national security overshadowed all other convention issues, education will be a mainstay on the campaign trail, Mr. Eskew said.
Education vs. Security
鈥淲ere it not for the war [in Iraq], No Child Left Behind would be one of the most visible pillars of the first term,鈥� he said.
Lindy Forbes, a special education teacher and alternate delegate from Green County, Ky., was neither surprised nor disappointed to see national-security themes dominate the week.
鈥淚f you鈥檙e not safe, nothing else matters,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t has to be number one. Most people understand that.鈥�
As the general-election race unfolds, education is unlikely to take center stage, said Tom Loveless of the Brookings Institution in Washington. In polls on the issues, he said, education lags way behind national security and the war in Iraq in importance.
鈥淏ut if this is a very close election,鈥� Mr. Loveless said, 鈥渆ven minor issues could loom important.鈥�
The Democratic assertion that the administration has failed to properly fund the No Child Left Behind Act is one issue on which the challengers have found some traction, Mr. Loveless said.
鈥淭he Democrats have been able to make hay over funding issues for No Child Left Behind,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 think it鈥檚 selling right now.鈥�
In his acceptance speech, President Bush briefly alluded to Sen. Kerry鈥檚 call for refinement of the law.
鈥淎fter supporting my education reforms, he now wants to dilute them,鈥� Mr. Bush said.
He said the No Child Left Behind Act is 鈥渢ransforming our schools by raising standards and focusing on results. We鈥檙e insisting on accountability, empowering parents and teachers, and making sure that local people are in charge of their schools.鈥�
Mr. Bush also touched on other issues that affect students and learning. He said that, if re-elected, he would lead a new charge to enroll millions of poor children who are eligible but not signed up for the government鈥檚 health-insurance programs.
As recently as the 1990s, many Republicans favored abolishing the U.S. Department of Education. Today, President Bush proudly cites his advocacy of the No Child Left Behind Act, a far-reaching law that requires more accountability from schools and imposes sanctions for those that don鈥檛 meet standards.
A Need to Tweak?
Though Republicans often press for less government intrusion on a local level, Ms. Forbes said she believes the law resonates with both moderate and conservative members of her party.
鈥淪maller government, if we can have it, is best,鈥� Ms. Forbes said. 鈥淏ut with education, it鈥檚 got to come from the top down. There have to be national standards for students.鈥�
But some conservative Republicans are uncomfortable with that thinking. South Carolina delegate Charlie Condon, a former state attorney general who lost a U.S. Senate primary earlier this year, said voters in his state spoke of problems caused by the law.
鈥淭here are some real problems on the ground level,鈥� he said. 鈥淭he concept is good, but there is a tremendous amount of tweaking needed.鈥�
Reg Weaver, the president of the 2.7 million-member National Education Association, who spent convention week here trying to build bridges with GOP officials, said he believed Republicans succeeded at making sure that the No Child Left Behind theme seeped into delegates鈥� consciousness.
But Mr. Weaver, whose union has endorsed Sen. Kerry for president and has been critical of the education law, said there was much more talk than substance here on education.
鈥淲hat the public has seen is the name mentioned, . but what has not been done is to talk about the details,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e want the American public to know there鈥檚 more than just a nice, catchy slogan.鈥�
While many delegates played down the impact that union criticism could have on the election, Rep. Michael N. Castle of Delaware said the opposition should not be underestimated. That resistance, he said, might make it difficult for the GOP to promote its education policies.
鈥淭hat is the political downside,鈥� said Rep. Castle, who serves on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. Partly because of that outspoken opposition to the No Child Left Behind Act, he said, education as an issue for Republicans 鈥渨ould be beneficial, but not overwhelmingly beneficial.鈥�
