[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 39 (Thursday, March 22, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E437]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      INTRODUCTION OF H.R. 1--THE NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT OF 2001

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                          HON. JOHN A. BOEHNER

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 22, 2001

  Mr. BOEHNER. Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to introduce President George 
W. Bush's education plan, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. This 
legislation, a comprehensive reauthorization of the federal Elementary 
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) of 1965, reflects President Bush's 
efforts to close the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and 
their peers and to work with States to push America's schools to be the 
best in the world.
  No Child Left Behind will refocus federal efforts to close the 
achievement gap by giving States and local schools greater flexibility 
in the use of Federal education dollars in exchange for greater 
accountability for results. The bill also includes a school choice 
``safety valve'' for students trapped in chronically failing schools 
that fail to improve after three consecutive years of emergency aid.
  In short: H.R. 1 will give students a chance, parents a choice, and 
schools a charge to be the best in the world.
  Despite almost a decade of uninterrupted prosperity in the 1990s, 
nearly 70 percent of inner city and rural fourth-graders cannot read at 
a basic level, and low-income students lag behind their counterparts by 
an average of 20 percentile points on national assessment tests. The 
academic achievement gap between rich and poor, Anglo and minority 
remains wide, and in some cases is growing wider. Washington has spent 
more than $80 billion since 1990, and nearly $130 billion since 1965, 
in a well-intentioned but unsuccessful effort to close the gap.
  The hard lesson of the past is that money alone cannot be the vehicle 
for change in our schools. If our goal truly is to leave no child 
behind, there must be accountability for results.
  It is a tremendous honor to introduce the No Child Left Behind Act on 
behalf of President Bush. We look forward to working with members of 
all parties in the coming weeks to ensure that every American child has 
the opportunity to learn.

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