DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
Since 2001, the Administration:
• Reformed K–12 education through the No Child Left Behind Act, which is raising aca-
demic standards, improving accountability, and expanding parental choice. No Child
Left Behind funding has increased 34 percent since 2001;
• Made significant improvements to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act to
align special education with No Child Left Behind accountability systems to provide
the framework for educating students with disabilities to the highest standards;
• Provided Pell Grants to more than five million needy students each year, and reformed
the Federal student aid programs to make them more cost efficient and targeted
additional aid to the neediest students; and
• Assessed 74 programs using the Program Assessment Rating Tool and used the
results to guide budget decisions and programmatic reforms.
The President’s Budget:
• Proposes a new competitive grant program, America’s Opportunity Scholarships for
Kids, to expand the educational opportunities available to students in chronically low-
performing schools;
• Supports a comprehensive approach aligned with the key principles of the No Child
Left Behind Act to increase the achievement of high school students;
• Proposes, as part of the President’s American Competitiveness Initiative, a series of
K–12 math and science initiatives designed to strengthen the capacity of our schools
to improve math and science learning; and
• Supports, as part of a new multi-agency effort, a National Security Language Initiative
designed to strengthen the national capacity in critical languages.
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DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
FOCUSING ON THE NATION’S PRIORITIES
Signs of Progress: Leaving No Child Behind
The 2007 Budget continues the President’s support for the major components of the No Child Left
Behind Act (NCLB). While education remains principally the responsibility of the States, the Federal
Government will continue its aggressive leadership in the education of America’s children.
Four years ago, President Bu