Ed Trust Press Room

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

January 24, 2007

CONTACT:

Claire Campbell (202) 293-1217, ext. 351

Statement by Kati Haycock, President of the Education Trust, on the State of the Union Address and No Child Left Behind Reauthorization

In working together on NCLB five years ago, the President and Democrats like Ted Kennedy and George Miller committed themselves – and our country – to tackle the longstanding school quality problems that were crippling the achievement of low-income and minority students in every state.  The law is beginning to make a difference, but we’ve not yet turned the corner, especially at the secondary level.  For too many children, there is still no hope because there is still no real opportunity.

We’re delighted that the President reaffirmed his commitment to work with the Democratic leadership to strengthen the law and keep us moving forward. And we agree with him that Congress must move quickly to reauthorize the law.  We’ve absolutely got to assure meaningful accountability—and his proposals seem to move us in the right direction.  But this time around, we also have to assure that schools, teachers and students receive the high quality supports they need.  As a country, we still have a long way to go to ensure that the students who need the greatest support actually get it.

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