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SEPTEMBER 2004

Back-to-School Checklist for Parents
by Dr. Rod Paige

As you embark upon your annual back-to-school stories, I wanted to share some thoughts with you and some helpful tips that might be of interest to your readers-especially parents.

As a nation, we are blessed with a rich tradition of public education. The United States has many fine public schools. Still, many children are not being served as well as they should be. They are too often left to wander in the shadows, condemned to a life with little hope or opportunity because they did not get the quality education they deserved.

Thanks to President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act, a bright light is now being shone on our schools. We are measuring all students' academic performance and holding all schools accountable for the results.

The law is a significant change from business as usual. Educational excellence is now measured by how many students are achieving, not simply by how many dollars we are spending. Schools must meet what is called "Adequate Yearly Progress" (AYP) in reading/language arts and mathematics. These goals are set by the state, and school districts and schools set the tone and course of action for helping students to achieve them.

The main goal of No Child Left Behind is simple: to ensure that all students perform at grade level in reading and math. For students trapped in a school that repeatedly does not measure up, No Child Left Behind provides new options such as tutoring or transfer to another public or public charter school. The under-performing school, meanwhile, gets extra resources to help it improve.

States across the nation will soon be releasing their education report cards and revealing which schools did and did not meet their progress goals. Parents and other citizens will no doubt have a few questions about these changes under the No Child Left Behind Act and what they mean to their child, their school and their community.

We've provided a checklist so that busy moms and dads can be sure to ask the right questions. Many factors go into a quality education. These are some that should be closely monitored.

We believe that public educators are up to this new challenge. We know what America can do when it focuses on results. In 1957, the launch of Sputnik spurred us to reassess the quality of public education. In 1983, the seminal report A Nation at Risk warned of a "rising tide of mediocrity" in our schools. And today, our twin achievement gaps-one between students of different income levels and races, the other between America and other nations-have focused attention on the critical need to do everything in our power to educate every child.

For America to compete in the 21st century, we must implement the reforms contained in the No Child Left Behind Act. But our challenge must be joined. The federal government, states, local education agencies, community organizations, parents and businesses must all work in partnership. And the media will play an important role as well.

In the end, accountability is in everyone's hands. All children deserve a quality education. No child deserves to be left behind.#

Dr. Rod Paige is the US Sec. of Education

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