US Education Secretary Margaret Spellings:

Few voices have been stronger in support of education reform over the years than your editorial page. Which is why it troubles me to have to respond to your March 24 editorial “Spellings Test.”

Instead of challenging reform’s opponents, you found fault with its best friend. The Bush administration led the charge to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, the strongest educational accountability measure ever instituted. The Department of Education has challenged states that have tried to water down or wriggle out of its provisions. And we have been immovable on the “bright line” goals of the law, including annual testing, disaggregated test score data and full grade level proficiency in reading and math by 2013-14.
Four years ago, we fought hard to ensure that public school choice and tutoring services were part of NCLB. They are important accountability tools. We have urged school districts to partner with community and faith-based organizations and to set aside adequate funds for transportation. We insist school districts comply with both its letter and spirit; for example, by informing parents in a timely manner and in plain language. Sticking a letter in a kid’s backpack is just not good enough.
We are holding up successful districts, such as Miami-Dade County in Florida and Desert Sands Unified in California, as role models. And those dragging their feet have been warned of consequences. Henry Johnson, who heads my Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, is taking a very close look at how well states are complying with the law. We will not hesitate to take appropriate enforcement actions.
Of course, we are not satisfied with current student participation rates. To spur improvement, we established pilot programs in several states prior to the 2005-06 school year. Early returns are promising. In Newport News, Va., for example, preliminary data show that 62% of students eligible for free tutoring signed up, aided by a door-to-door campaign to notify low-income parents. This is nearly four times the national average.
We welcome everyone’s effort to use the latest data in support of closing the achievement gap. The bottom line is that none of this activity would be happening without the No Child Left Behind Act. It has done more than raise test scores and narrow the achievement gap. It has shone a bright light on the entire public education system, so that parents are no longer kept in the dark.
Margaret Spellings
U.S. Secretary of Education
Washington