U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings
CARY -- The nation's top education leader was in North Carolina to promote No Child Left Behind on Friday.
The program has strong critics but the Bush administration is seeking renewal. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings toured Cary Academy. It's a high performing school but not all schools are doing as well.
"We are in an economy where 90 percent of jobs require post-secondary education, especially the kinds of jobs you want to bring to this community, and at the same time we're getting about half of our minority kids out of high school on time," Secretary Spellings said.
The nation's top education leader was in North Carolina to promote No Child Left Behind on Friday. U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings toured Cary Academy outside Raleigh.
No Child Left Behind is a federal law that mandates all children are proficient in reading and math by 2014. Schools must make progress each year.
Schools that receive federal funding for poor students and don't meet targets face sanctions. After two years of failure, parents have the right to transfer their kids to another school. After three years, the school must provide outside tutoring.
State officials worry the program is too demanding and want to see changes to current problems they are facing.
"A school must meet all the requirements or none of the requirements, so as a result you have an all or nothing," explained North Carolina Superintendent of Schools June Atkinson.
The Bush Administration wants Congress to renew the No Child Left Behind Act.
"We have to pick up the pace clearly and one of the things that's been very powerful and important about No Child Left Behind is it's allowed us to really peel the onion and hold us accountable for where we really are," Secretary Spellings added.
Spellings still believes everyone can meet the goals by 2014.
North Carolina Rep. Brad Miller wants to see the program renewed but wants better funding.
"Without the promised funding, it's just a testing program," added Rep. Miller, D-13th District. "It's just the federal government wagging its finger at the states and local governments that run a school system like a parent saying you have achievement gaps."
Education officials believe Congress will take up the issue sometime this summer.