Washington, D.C. - Congressman Nathan Deal has signed on as an original cosponsor of House Resolution 1, the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. The House Committee on Education will hold hearings on the bill on April 29, 2001.

Rep. Deal stated, "H.R. 1 is a bill that will provide more resources, but also demand accountability from our schools. We have been relying on more and more money to improve schools without having consequences for not measuring up. State government, local government, and especially parents need to know that schools are teaching, and teaching well, and new measures of accountability will make that possible."

Since 1965 Washington has spent $130 billion in an unsuccessful effort to close the achievement gap, including $80 billion from this decade alone. The most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) shows that despite these funding increases, average reading scores of fourth graders have shown no improvement over the past eight years.

"For far too long our federal government has shuffled huge amounts of tax dollars to schools, and we have little to show for it. We need to give states flexibility in spending so that each state can determine the best way to meet the unique needs of its population. At the same time, schools will be held accountable for the results. America's children are our most valuable resource, and I believe we will learn that when kids are held to a higher standard, they will meet it," Deal stated.

H.R. 1 provides school choice for a child attending a failing school for three years. Those three years are a time for schools to work toward meeting new standards, but after that time children will be able to switch to a better performing public school or charter school. Additionally, they can use a $1500 stipend to receive special tutoring or to attend a private school. School choice has been shown to work. Students in the Milwaukee school choice program have registered reading scores three to five points higher than their public school counterparts and math scores five to eleven points higher. Similar gains have been made in Washington, D.C., Dayton, and New York City. "Right now some parents have the choice to take their children out of failing schools- affluent parents," Deal stated. "I want to give every parent a choice."

H.R. 1 also gives special attention to rural schools, providing increased flexibility and funding to enhance academic achievement and addresses the unique needs of rural school districts that cannot compete for federal education grants because of inadequate resources. The bill would fund teacher recruitment and retention, including the use of signing bonuses and other financial incentives, teacher professional development, educational technology, and parental involvement programs to improve student academic achievement.

"As a member the Congressional Rural Caucus I am proud to cosponsor a bill that will give the students of rural America access to the same opportunities as other students. As the son of two educators and the husband of a teacher, I know that teachers want to reach the highest standards possible. We need to give them the tools to do so. I am going to do everything I can to get this bill passed, and I call on my fellow members to vote yes to a better education for America's children," Deal concluded.