Bush defends No Child Left Behind

President George W. Bush says the No Child Left Behind Act should not be watered down after he leaves office. Speaking inPhiladelphia on the seventh anniversary of his signing of the education reform law, Bush said the act had "forever changed America's school systems." The law requires states to set benchmarks and test students annually in reading and math, with the goal that all schoolchildren pass the exams by 2014. Schools that fail to meet standards face penalties, and students at those schools have the right to transfer. Critics say the law is underfunded and punitive, and makes schools focus narrowly on testing. But Bush dismissed such criticism.

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