Bush Urges Effort to Close Black and White Students’ Achievement Gap

New York Times ^ | April 10, 2014 | Peter Baker

[reaganaut1]

AUSTIN, Tex. — Former President George W. Bush called the achievement gap between white and black children “a national scandal” on Thursday and urged both parties to come together to address it as the central civil rights issue of the modern era.

Paying tribute to President Lyndon B. Johnson at a conference commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, Mr. Bush said the real test of the nation’s commitment to equality would be to fix an educational system that has tolerated low standards for too long.

“There’s a growing temptation among public officials in both political parties at the federal, state and local levels to lower expectations,” he told an audience. “Without meaningful accountability, it is poor and minority children who suffer most. The goal of ending achievement gaps should unite Republicans and Democrats, it should unite teachers and parents.” He added, “It is only right to blow the whistle on mediocrity.”

Mr. Bush’s speech concluded the three-day conference hosted by the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library, where three other presidents also commemorated the landmark antidiscrimination law of the Johnson era. Mr. Bush reached across the aisle to hail Johnson’s domestic achievements, including his commitment to education, and noted that he signed a law naming the Department of Education for him.

“Lyndon Johnson was continuing the work of Abraham Lincoln, which is really the work of the Declaration of Independence — ‘All men are created equal,’ ” Mr. Bush said. “He made us one people. I’ve got great respect for the way President Johnson used the presidency to achieve big goals. He understood the risks to his party and the risks to his coalition.”

[reaganaut1]

We tried this with NCLB, and it did not work. The only way to close the achievement gap between two races separated by one standard deviation in IQ is not to teach anyone anything. And even that would be foiled by white and Asian parents teaching their children at home. Now that Bush is retired, he should have time to read "The Bell Curve".

[P-Marlowe]

The feds have no constitutional authority to interfere in education.

[Texas Eagle]

Former President George W. Bush called the achievement gap between white and black children “a national scandal” on Thursday and urged both parties to come together to address it as the central civil rights issue of the modern era.

Whatchootalkinbout Dubya? You admitting No Child Left Behind is a monumental failure?

Let me guess. Now your pimping Common Core?

[Timber Rattler]

He still doesn’t get it.

[MtnClimber]

The democRATS need a permanant and dependent underclass to stay in power. They do NOT want this.

[TADSLOS]

Good Lord. Go paint your dog, GW.

[Texas Eagle]

Alternate headline...

Bush: Public Education Failure Bush's Fault

[ilovesarah2012]

I’ve got a brilliant idea? Why not tell the black kids to study?

[doc1019]

Has the unconstitutionality of anything ever stopped the feds recently?

[Bobalu]

All men are not created equal...some are smart, some are not, some are rich, some are not, some are beautiful, some are not....

All people are equally precious in the eyes of God though....

[Texas Eagle]

I'm sorry. You were saying.

[MeshugeMikey]

and even earlier....dont share your DOPE with em!!

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Seeing as the average black student has an IQ of 85, the only way to "close the achievement gap" is to dumb the non-black students down.

Enter Common Core.

[Mariner]

There's only one way to achieve what GW wants.

You must destroy urban black culture.

[steel_resolve]

This.

[svcw]

Before the “civil tights act”, scores were nearly identical.

[Iron Munro]

What does he want to do now?

Give the non-blacks frontal lobotomies?

[Parmy]

Having both a mother and father who don’t do drugs, are racist, etc. would certainly help.

[doc1019]

Racist! /s

[svcw]

Bovine ex raiment, but thanks for the liberal crap “GWs fault”.
Government have been failing since the civil rights act.