President Bush on Wednesday proposed a $1.5 billion expansion of the No Child Left Behind Act to require testing of public high school students.

At a speech in Virginia, Bush decried the disparity in achievement levels of minority students. "African American and Hispanic and Native American children are beginning to learn to read," he said. "There is a significant achievement gap in America, and that is not right. And we're closing that gap."

Bush's 2006 budget, which will be released next month, will seek $1.2 billion for "high school intervention" to help students who are falling behind plus an additional $250 million for testing.

Statistics show Indian public school students trail other students on standardized tests. About 500,000 Indian students attend public schools.

Get the Story:
'No Child' Expansion Is Outlined (The Washington Post 1/13)
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Bush Urges Rigorous High School Testing (The New York Times 1/13)
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