From George Bush's site regarding education. You can choose to vote for more Gore platitudes, or a Governor who has gotten real results. The case in education has never been clearer. You won't be seeing Democrats talk about education in Texas.
Achievement Gap
“[G]aps remain painfully wide...virtually all of the progress was made during the 70’s and 80’s. You might call the 90’s the ‘dead in the water’ decade as far as gap closing is concerned...the federal government has turned a blind eye to the gap and to the students who most need its help by failing to require gap closing as a condition of receipt of federal funds.”
Kati Haycock, The Education Trust
The Education Recession of the last seven and a half years includes a widening gap between minority and non-minority students and between disadvantaged students and their more advantaged peers. Despite promising during the 1992 campaign to “reduce the education gap between rich and poor students,” Al Gore failed to press for policies that would boost student test scores.
In 1996 alone, 68 percent of African-American fourth-graders scored below basic minimum standards on national math assessments. The achievement gap for poor and minority students remains wide, and the achievement gap for Hispanic 4th graders in reading has grown wider under Clinton-Gore.
The most recent evaluation showed that Title I students are not making a year’s worth of progress for each year in school. Low-income students are falling further and further behind their peers:
The Clinton/Gore Administration has left children behind:
The Achievement Gap between white 17-year-olds and black 17-year-olds scoring at basic level in math grew wider by five percentile points between 1990 and 1999.
The Achievement Gap between white 17-year-olds and black 17-year-olds scoring at proficient level in math grew wider by thirteen percentile points between 1990 and 1999.
The Achievement Gap between white 17-year-olds and black 17-year-olds reading at basic level grew wider by three percentile points between 1990 and 1999.
the Achievement Gap between white 13-year-olds and Hispanic 13-year-olds grew wider in science between 1992 and 1999.
And the Achievement Gap exists in advanced classes and higher education as well.
A smaller percentage of minority students are taking high level courses. For example, even though African-American and Hispanic students make up about 30 percent of students in public schools, they comprise only 9 percent of Advanced Placement (AP) Calculus test-takers. A similar disparity exists for AP biology.
In 1997, only 61.8 percent of Hispanics ages 25 to 29 had completed high school, compared with 87.4 percent of all students. Only 11 percent of Hispanics had completed four or more years of college.
Gore's Plan will continue to leave children behind:
While Governor Bush has a plan to require accountability and close the achievement gap, Al Gore has no real accountability. No regular testing. No way to measure school and student performance. And no hope to kids trapped in failing schools.
BUSH PLAN TO REQUIRE ACCOUNTABILITY AND CLOSE THE ACHIEVEMENT GAP
Increase Accountability
Requires state tests every year for all public school students in grades 3-8 in reading and math.
Expands NAEP sample exam in 4th and 8th grades in both reading and math from every four years to every year.
Both state tests and NAEP data will be reported every year on a disaggregated basis (by income and race) to determine whether the achievement gap is closing.
Enables measurement of student performance so schools can be held accountable for educating every child.
Reward states for Closing Achievement Gap
Creates a $500 million reward fund for states that excel and close the achievement gap.
Sets Consequences for Failure
Withdraws a portion of federal education funds for states with declining achievement.
Increase Parental Control and Information
Require school-by-school report cards and give parents real options - like tutoring or the ability to transfer to another school - when their children are trapped in failing schools.
Expand Access to Higher Education
Helps states establish college merit scholarships for students who take challenging courses in high school.
Increases the amount of Pell Grants from $3,300 to $5,100 for first year college students.
Expands Education Savings Accounts by increasing the annual contribution limit from $500 to $5,000 and allowing tax-free withdrawals to pay for expenses from kindergarten through college and beyond.
TEXAS RECORD ON ACHIEVEMENT GAP
Texas ranks first in the nation in overall student improvement on test scores, especially for African-American and Hispanic students (National Education Goals Panel). The number of low-income students and minority students passing the state skills test has increased by 89 percent from 1994 to the year 2000.
In math, African-American fourth-graders in Texas ranked 1st in the nation on the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) mathematics exam. Between 1992 and 1996, African America fourth-graders in Texas made the greatest gains in math achievement. Hispanic 4th graders in Texas made the second greatest gains in the nation.
Since 1994, the number of African-American students participating in Advanced Placement programs increased by more than 280 percent. The number of Hispanic students participating in AP programs more than quadrupled - from 2,425 participants in 1994 to 12, 162 in 1999. |
