Bill Clinton: “I rise to bring an important matter to the attention of my colleagues. As we all know, the No Child Left Behind Act…”

“I rise to bring an important matter to the attention of my colleagues. As we all know, the No Child Left Behind Act, NCLB, requires an important shift in accountability for our Nation's public schools. It requires our schools to look at the achievement of all students, including students in several traditionally under-performing subgroups such as students with special needs. Our goal in passing this law was to make sure that no child was left behind to send a clear message that all American children deserve a world-class education. To do that, we required accountability for results, expanded local control and flexibility, emphasized the importance of valid and reliable educational tools, and expanded parental involvement. We also required schools to show, through transparent processes, sufficient progress for all students, including minorities, low-income students and students with disabilities. Today I am submitting for the record an August 30, 2004, New York Times article that contains troubling information about how NCLB is being implemented for students with special needs.”