Save 'No Child Left Behind'

President Bush faces a tough political fight on the reauthorization of the landmark No Child Left Behind Act that has left many educators confused, frustrated and even angry over the past five years. But while the law needs some fine-tuning, it has clearly enhanced educational accountability and opportunity. Congress should fix it, not scrap it.

A study released three months ago by the bipartisan Center on Education Policy reported significant gains in student performance — and significant reductions in the "achievement gap" between white and black students — since the enactment of No Child Left Behind in 2002. Another CEP study released a few weeks later found that students have spent more time on reading and math during that period.

Thus, NCLB's focus on basics has produced positive results. CEP President Jack Hennings, a former Democratic congressional aide, concluded that NCLB "is clearly part of the mix of reforms whose fruit we are now seeing." And South Carolina Education Superintendent Jim Rex told us that while he gave a "C plus or B minus" to NCLB, "I sure wouldn't throw it out."

Neither should Congress. NCLB requires annual math and reading tests in grades three though eight and in high school. Schools that consistently fail to meet "benchmarks" are subject to corrective action, including changes in administrators, teachers and curricula. That's the same common-sense concept behind South Carolina's 1998 Education Accountability Act.

Then again, achieving such accountability isn't easy. Many educators have complained that NCLB requires them to "teach to the test," and the National Education Association is determined to kill the law. Many Democrats argue that any new version of the law must contain much higher levels of funding.

Many Republicans counter that what is truly needed is not more federal dollars but less federal interference in public education. Our own Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., has sponsored an "A Plus" bill that would allow states to opt out of NCLB if they agree to new academic performance criteria.

While public education is primarily a state and local responsibility, if Washington is going to continue to provide funds, it has a right to require the states to accurately measure student achievement and reform schools that repeatedly fall short of minimum academic standards.

President Bush renewed his plea for NCLB Tuesday after meeting at the White House with advocates for economically disadvantaged students.

As The New York Times reported, the president urged Congress not to "water down this good law," stressing that "there can be no compromise on the basic principle: Every child must learn to read and do math at, or above, grade level. And there can be no compromise on the need to hold schools accountable to making sure we achieve that goal."

That should be a goal shared by all Americans — including both sides of the House and Senate aisles. No Child Left Behind has advanced public education. Congress should craft reauthorization legislation to extend that advance.