Bush and Democratic Coalition Unveil Education Reform Plans

President George W. Bush presented an education reform package Tuesday, as did a coalition of Democrats. Although there was emphasis on bipartisan collaboration, Bush, teachers union presidents, and the Democrats drew a line in the sand regarding school vouchers. Included: Highlights of the Bush education reform package.

Education reform was the theme in our nation's capital on Tuesday as newly inaugurated president George W. Bush and Senator Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.) introduced similar education reform packages. Bush and Lieberman emphasized bipartisan collaboration on getting education reform approved as a federal reality but drew lines in the sand regarding school vouchers.

Bush met with education and congressional leaders Tuesday morning as Lieberman reintroduced the House and Senate New Democrat Coalition's Three R's education plan.

Both plans call for Congress to revamp federal education policy, require states to improve academic achievement, and require state assessments as proof that students are improving. Neither tells states how to accomplish those improvements, emphasizing local and state flexibility in exchange for increased federal funding. The plans also propose streamlining the federal grant process.

The Democrats' plan earmarks $35 billion in additional funds over the next five years. The Bush plan did not attribute a dollar amount. During the presidential campaign, however, Bush proposed spending an additional $47.6 billion over ten years.

Bush's 28-page plan, No Child Left Behind, links federal dollars to specific performance goals. The accountability component would require that states conduct annual reading and math tests for all students in grades three through eight to determine their effectiveness. If schools fail to make adequate yearly progress for three consecutive years, the Bush plan would allow disadvantaged students to use Title I funds -- $1,500 -- to transfer to a higher-performing public or private school.

Other highlights of the Bush plan include the following:

• Create after-school learning programs that give states and school districts the freedom to award grants to religious and community organizations.
• Reward schools that meet accountability requirements with recognition and one-time bonuses.
• Reduce federal funds to failing schools.
• Require that bilingual students improve each year and stay in special programs no longer than three years.
• Fund character education.
• Focus on the early grades and implement research-based pre-reading methods in pre-school programs, including Head Start.

Senator James M. Jeffords (R-Vt.), chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, called on Congress to join the Bush administration in making comprehensive education reform a top priority. "It is essential to our economic survival," Jeffords said in a written statement on Tuesday.

"The proposal outlined by President Bush is a very good framework that will go a long way in providing the assistance needed at the state and local level to have a first-rate elementary and secondary educational system," Jeffords added.

The Bush plan mirrors some of former President Bill Clinton's education priorities. Goals include ensuring that students read at grade level by grade three, providing quality teachers in all classrooms, requiring clear standards of achievement and accountability for all children, and ensuring that all schools be safe and drug-free.

PLANS OFFER LOTS OF SIMILARITIES

Most of the focus Tuesday was on reaching congressional consensus regarding education reform.

"Both parties have been talking about education reform for quite a while," Bush said Tuesday at the White House, when he presented his education reform package. "It is time to come together to get it done so we can truthfully say that no child will be left behind. Not one single child.

"All of us are impatient with the old lines of division. All of us want a different attitude here in this nation's capital. All of us in this room, as well as across the country, know that things must change," the president continued.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) told reporters as he left the White House Tuesday morning after meeting with Bush that he looked forward to working with the Bush administration on education reform. A ranking member of the Senate Committee for Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, Kennedy pointed out that in a number of areas, such as increased accountability and increased resources for early childhood education programs, both parties agree.

"The senator was very impressed that the president will work in a bipartisan fashion," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Kennedy. "However, areas of particular disagreement are vouchers."

VOUCHERS A HURDLE FOR CONSENSUS

Bob Chase, president of the National Education Association (NEA), said in a written statement that although he is pleased that Bush is making education an early priority, he is disappointed with the inclusion of vouchers in the plan. "Bush has an opportunity to invest in action that produces real results, such as reducing class size, repairing schools, providing extra help for students who need it, and enhancing teacher quality. The plan unveiled relies on a failed political gimmick.

"We know what works. Let's start now and invest in the programs that have bipartisan support," stated Chase.

Sandra Feldman, president of the American Federation of Teachers, also praised the Bush plan for its emphasis on a strong reading initiative but promised to vigorously oppose the president's voucher proposal.

During the national election last fall, voters soundly defeated voucher proposals in Michigan and California. Teachers unions put their money where their mouths were. The California Teachers Association spent $22 million to defeat the California voucher proposition. In Michigan, the Michigan Education Association established a non-profit coalition that raised $6 million to defeat vouchers in that state.

But the unions had to put up a fight against the big money contributed by wealthy business owners: Silicon Valley's Timothy Draper promoted the California measure to a tune of $20 million, and Amway founders Dick and Betsy DeVos backed the Michigan voucher proposal.

COMMON GROUND NEEDED FOR CONSENSUS

On ABC's Good Morning America program Tuesday morning, Lieberman told Charlie Gibson that congressional representatives agree something needs to be done to improve the nation's schools. However, he told Gibson, there isn't a consensus in Congress that vouchers are the way to improve schools.

"Certainly not the kind of vouchers that President Bush has in his proposal, which would basically give up on the schools too soon and then spend money, public school money, to send the kids to non-pubic schools," Lieberman said. "We don't want to do that."

Lieberman added that the Democrats' plan and the Bush plan have plenty of similarities. "There are some differences, which means we have some work to do. But I think it's very encouraging that the new president has chosen to make education his first legislative priority. I think we all recognize the problem, and we've got similar ideas for solving it."

Article by Diane Weaver Dunne
Education World®
Copyright © 2006 Education World

01/25/2001