No Child Left Behind provides flexibility to states and school districts, promotes accountability, and expands school and parental choice. No Child Left Behind, H.R. 1, gives states and local schools additional flexibility to improve student performance by cutting red tape and consolidating a host of programs to ensure that state and local officials can meet the unique needs of students. It also establishes a comprehensive accountability system, including asking states to design and implement annual math and reading tests for students in grades three through eight. I schools that fail to make adequate progress for three consecutive years would be able to use federal dollars to pay for tuition at another public or a private school, or to receive supplemental education services from a provider of choice.
Money is important to the success of our public schools.
But it is less important to increase investments in education than it is to make the right investments in students. Well over 100 ALEC members hold senior leadership positions in their state legislatures, while hundreds more hold key leadership positions. ALEC's alumni include 83 members of Congress and 15 sitting or former Governors. Realizing that the federal government can play an important role in shaping America's education system, President Bush also knows that it is essential that states and local communities play the dominant role in the future of public education.