Our children were better off before the No Child Left Behind Act, which Bush mandated then pulled back the funds to fully enact it. The idea, in my opinion, is to fully bankrupt all public services so that everything can be taken over by private corporations.

Student Test Scores Faltering, Falling in Major States, New Government Data Reveal

Children’s reading scores have stalled or declined in the nation’s largest states since Congress passed the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, according to new data released by governors and state school chiefs. Traveling the campaign trail, President Bush frequently reiterates support for his controversial ‘No Child’ school accountability reforms. In King of Prussia, Pa. last month, Mr. Bush said, ‘We’re making progress. We’re closing the achievement gap.’

Yet many states have now released trend data, tracking children’s progress in acquiring basic reading skills through last spring’s exams. Since passage of Mr. Bush’s signature education policy, student performance leveled-off or fell in 11 of the 15 states participating in the study, according to researchers at Stanford University and the University of California.

‘We could not detect any consistent gains in children’s reading scores since passage of Washington’s No Child Left Behind reforms,’ said Aimee Scribner, spokesperson for the university team.
Children’s reading scores in elementary schools have remained unchanged or declined in California, Colorado, Iowa, Massachusetts, Missouri, NewYork, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin, according to the data released by each state’s education department.

"Important gains in children’s reading performance were observed through the 1990s, as many governors advanced their own school accountability initiatives," Scribner said.

Mr. Bush’s education secretary, Rod Paige, speaking before the Republican National Convention in New York City, said, "All across America, test scores are rising, students are learning, the achievement gap is closing." "We hope the Administration’s claims some day come true," Scribner said. "But the new state data simply do not support such broad assertions."