Chairman Miller Statement on Bush Administration’s Proposed Piecemeal Changes to NCLB Education Law

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

WASHINGTON, DC -- U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, issued the following statement on proposed regulatory changes to the No Child Left Behind law announced today by the Bush administration.

“What the Bush administration proposed today is a series of piecemeal changes to a law that really needs a comprehensive overhaul. Some of the proposed changes, like requiring a uniform graduation rate, are long overdue; other proposed changes are unhelpful. But altogether the changes amount to tinkering with a law that needs significant improvements, as most parents, educators, and students know.

“In the Congress, we are continuing our efforts to significantly improve the law. We need to make sure that our education system is meeting the challenges of a globalized world by preparing students for 21st century jobs and college classrooms. We need to measure students’ academic performance in a way that truly reflects the critical thinking and collaborative skills they will need to succeed in today’s knowledge-based economy. We need to make sure that our schools have the resources they need to help their students succeed. The Bush administration’s proposed regulations will do very little, if anything, to address these issues.

“President Bush came to office wanting to be remembered as the ‘education president.’ Then he undermined his own school reforms by repeatedly underfunding them. These regulations are the last gasp of a dying education legacy. That is a shame, because last year, Congress offered the President an opportunity to resuscitate his legacy by working in a bipartisan way on comprehensive reforms to the No Child Left Behind law, and he rejected it.  

“We will build a world-class public education system in this country, but because of President Bush’s failure of leadership, it will not happen on his watch.”

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