In his second term, Bush looks to build on education base

Sen. Kennedy says there's plenty of room for bipartisan progress.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush is ready to shift his education focus to older pupils, building on the law he pushed through before terrorism and war came to define his presidency.
No Child Left Behind, Bush's first big domestic legislative victory, orders schools to show yearly gains among pupils regardless of their race or background.
The federal role in education has never been so big, and the president says his plans to expand the law "could move pretty quickly" in the new Congress.
"Do you remember the No Child Left Behind Act?" Bush said in his first news conference after his re-election, when asked how he would reach across party lines. "I think there's the model I would look at if I were you."
Criticism
Yet some say that model needs much repair. Many Democrats who supported the law criticize what they call lackluster spending and enforcement under Bush's leadership.
And with an expanded majority in Congress, some Republicans want Bush to put his power behind a more conservative school-choice agenda. That would mean a bigger push for private-school vouchers and charter schools, which are public but largely independent.
"We're going to find out a lot about what George Bush is really all about," said Andrew Rotherham, who directs education policy for the Progressive Policy Institute, a think tank aligned with centrist Democrats. "He would be better remembered as the president who put in place the framework for closing the achievement gap -- not the one who got a multicity voucher plan passed, which is the base-pleasing stuff."
Bush will have a new education secretary to shepherd his policies. He has chosen his domestic policy adviser, Margaret Spellings, to replace Rod Paige, who resigned Monday. The nomination must be confirmed by the Senate.
Bush wants to extend his education law by requiring two more years of state math and reading tests in high school grades. That's part of a broader promise to improve high school standards, graduation rates and the value of the diploma -- all of which are welcomed, said Patty Sullivan, a leader of the Council of Chief State School Officers.
Even with the larger GOP majorities in Congress, Bush still lacks the votes to halt Democratic delay tactics in the Senate. Since the election, Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, the ranking Democrat on education, has signaled he wants to work with Bush to make early childhood learning a bigger priority.
There's still plenty of room for bipartisan school progress, Kennedy said, "without taking divisive steps, such as diverting scarce public education dollars to private schools."
Working with Bush
Yet in the House, Education Committee Chairman John Boehner, R-Ohio, will look for ways to work with Bush and others to expand school choice, spokesman David Schnittger said.
"There won't be many surprises on education," Schnittger said, "but there will be a lot of action."
That's because Congress has a backlog of laws due for updates. They include:
UHead Start, the preschool program for poor children. Bush wants the program's emphasis shifted toward literacy.
UHigher education, where Bush has a series of college-aid plans and will push for greater accountability in how that money is spent.
UVocational education, the federal program that helps students prepare for trade and technical jobs.
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