Options are under review.
In the battle over the future of federal education policy, the White House has backed off from supporting a system that would punish school districts if their minority students do not make acceptable progress. The issue of accountability, especially when tied to the explosive issue of race, has proved to be a thorny one in Washington as Bush struggles to implement his education agenda. The Senate may take up the bill today. Senate Republicans and the White House have decided to slow the rate at which states would have to meet the new standards, out of concern that the original goals were impossible for most states to meet. Under Bush's plan, schools that do not meet achievement goals in reading and math would face severe consequences, including the loss of up to 15 percent of their federal funding for poor children.