FOR RELEASE FEBRUARY 28, 2001

ACEI STATEMENT REGARDING
PRESIDENT BUSH'S EDUCATION PROGRAM PROPOSAL:

The Association for Childhood Education International (ACEI) commends President George W. Bush for placing education at the forefront of the national agenda. While ACEI is encouraged by the President's statement that "No child will be left behind," we are deeply concerned about the constricted focus of the President's proposal, and by the limitations that will be imposed on students and teachers if the proposal is implemented. ACEI believes in the inherent rights of all children and in the classroom teacher's ability to identify and provide what is best for each child. Educators need to be involved in the development of the national education program so that they may ensure the incorporation of best educational practices.

We believe that there is already too much emphasis on testing in America's classrooms and homes, and ACEI is troubled by the frequent misuse of test results. A recent CNN news story reported that 83% of teachers polled in a national survey believe that testing is overemphasized. Teachers require the latitude to use a variety of instructional approaches if they are to realistically reach and teach every student--not just those who happen to respond well to narrowly defined classroom strategies and curricula. Restricting K-12 education to the information that will be covered in standardized tests limits students' potential to achieve their full learning capacity. The President's proposal, in its current form, interferes with a broader view of educational practice. ACEI encourages President George W. Bush and other participants in the development of an education program to work toward consensus on a plan that will be comprehensive and multifaceted. Such a plan is the only realistic approach to creating a diverse agenda that honors all children in America.

ACEI, which was established in 1892, has over 12,000 members throughout the United States, Canada, and 67 other countries. Our goals are to promote the inherent rights, education, and well-being of all children in their homes, schools, and communities; to promote desirable conditions, programs, and practices for children from infancy through early adolescence; to raise the standard of preparation for teachers so that teachers have the knowledge and the skills to be effective in the classroom; to encourage continuous professional growth of educators; to bring into active cooperation all individuals and groups concerned with children; and to inform
the public of the needs and rights of children and the ways in which various programs must be adjusted to fit those needs and rights.