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Guest Commentary December 18, 2001
Strengthening Our Schools, Educating Our Children
The Honorable Shelley Moore Capito
When President Bush entered office in the beginning of this year, he made it very clear to all Americans that his number one priority was education. In fact, to highlight the significance of the issue, he asked Congress to immediately begin working on a bill to improve our nation's schools.
The President also set a more specific goal: that every child be able to read. President Bush recognized the ability to read as the fundamental building block for a successful and bright future.
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In his budget for 2002, he tripled the funding for an initiative called, Reading First. The central notion was to provide a solid foundation of the basics—reading, writing and arithmetic -— for our children's education.
This Reading First initiative was central to President Bush's broader idea of education reform.
As a result of this push for real education reform, Congress passed the "No Child Left Behind Act of 2001." This historic, bipartisan, education reform plan includes real accountability, unprecedented flexibility for states and school districts, greater local control, more options for parents and more funding for what works.
Specifically, the bill gives new options for parents with children in failing schools. Access to supplemental services such as private tutoring and other options will provide an escape route for students in inadequate schools.
This plan also provides unprecedented new levels of accountability for parents and taxpayers by implementing regular testing in reading and math, and annually published report cards for schools to demonstrate how well students are learning.
There is a renewed emphasis on reading and phonetic fundamentals with tripled funding, ensuring that every child will be able to read. And there are provisions for greater local flexibility for rural schools to combine grant money to maximize educational projects.
This education plan will give students a chance and schools the ability to be the best in the world. At the end of the day, I trust West Virginian teachers and West Virginia parents to be the best educators for West Virginia children. That's what this bill is all about: putting the power and the control into the hands of those who are closest to the kids.
We must close the academic achievement gap. Learning to read, write, add and subtract are not luxuries in the 21st century, they are necessary and vital skills that every child must be equipped with. With this education package, we will ensure that no child is left behind in West Virginia or anywhere in America.
Shelley Moore Capito is a Member of the U.S. House of Representatives (R-West Virginia) and writes a weekly column. The above has been adapted from her column of December 14, 2001. To contact her, Click Here.
The above column has been distributed by PoliticsOL.com.
