Bush Lauds Education Reforms

Bush Lauds¹ Education Reforms

 

Scott Stearns

President Bush starts the new year campaigning on some of the domestic programs he hopes will help him win re-election. Mr. Bush says his education reforms have raised test scores in math and reading.

President Bush says the changes have put more children on the path to success in school and in life. He said the biggest changes in education in a generation are working.

"We expect schools to do their job, and we're helping² them to do their job. So there's no excuse for failure. When we set a high standard, we are showing our belief in the capacities of every child."

The so-called No Child Left Behind reforms require states to hold every public school accountable for student achievement. If test scores do not measure up, the plan allows parents to move their children to better-performing schools, and provides money for tutoring.

"We will no longer write off some children as hopeless. We will no longer accept or excuse schools that do not effectively teach the basics. We will insist on high standards and accountability, because we believe that every school should teach and every child can learn."

Critics say the president's reforms rely too much on standardized³ tests and not enough on individual needs. They say that forces teachers to focus on material they know will be on the test, instead of offering a broader view of the subject.

There is not yet enough money in the plan to meet all demands for tutoring, and switching schools often depends on better schools having enough space to accept new students.

In the weekly Democratic radio address, New York Congressman⁴ Tim Bishop⁵ said the president must increase school funding. "Improving education is an American priority. But last year, it was left under-funded by more than $8 billion. This gap has placed a great burden on our educators and local school taxes."

Democrats⁶ say the federal grading system is unfair in some cases, because it requires yearly progress from every subgroup of students, including those with disabilities, or those who speak English as a second language.

President Bush says it is not unfair to hold all students to the same standards. "Our reforms insist on high standards, because we know every child can learn. Our reforms call for testing because the worst discrimination is to ignore a school's failure to teach every child. And our reforms identify underperforming schools, because we need to direct our help to the schools that need it most."

Education and health care will be the domestic cornerstones of the president's push for re-election. In the coming week, he will visit the states of Missouri and Tennessee to discuss education reform, and raise more money for the campaign.

 

注释：

domestic [dE5mestik] adj. 国内的，本国的

No Child Left Behind   “不让一个孩子落伍”，美国教育改革方案。

accountable [E5kauntEbl] adj. 有责任的

measure up   符合标准

tutor [5tju:tE] v. 辅导

write off…as   把……看成

accountability [E7kauntE5biliti] n. 有责任，有义务

switch schools   转校

congressman [5kRN^resmEn] n. 国会议员

priority [prai5Criti] n. 重点，优先

under-fund   资金不足

subgroup [5sQb^ru:p] n. 小群

disability [7disE5biliti] n. 无能，残疾

call for   提倡

discrimination [dis7krimi5neiFEn] n. 歧视；眼光，识别力

identify [ai5dentifai] v. 认同

underperforming [9QndEpE5fR:miN] adj. 表现不佳的

cornerstone [5kC:nEstEJn] n. 基础

1 lauds   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The work lauds the victor, Liu Bang. 该曲歌颂了胜利者刘邦。 来自互联网
• The modern world lauds them for their vigor and intensity of purpose, and for their accomplishment. 诸君之祖先曾以大无畏之精神，冒不可思议之困难，筚路褴褛以开发新大陆。 来自互联网

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 standardized   

adj.标准化的

参考例句：

• We use standardized tests to measure scholastic achievement. 我们用标准化考试来衡量学生的学业成绩。
• The parts of an automobile are standardized. 汽车零件是标准化了的。

4 Congressman   

n.（美）国会议员

参考例句：

• He related several anecdotes about his first years as a congressman.他讲述自己初任议员那几年的几则轶事。
• The congressman is meditating a reply to his critics.这位国会议员正在考虑给他的批评者一个答复。

5 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》