As we approach next year's renewal of NCLB, our strategy on parental choice should be two-pronged: (1) increase awareness among parents about school choice options available under NCLB, and (2) strengthen those options for students trapped in underperforming schools. 

The argument for school choice is simple: The status quo has failed too many children for too long. By shining a spotlight on those schools that are-and aren't-providing a solid education to our students and by giving parents an option to choose among them, we're raising the bar for all schools. 

School choice isn't about undermining public schools or giving some schools an advantage over others. It is about giving children a chance to receive the best education available. By increasing expectations across the board and by encouraging greater competition among schools charged with preparing the next generation to compete against America's global counterparts, we'll demonstrate that we aren't beholden to the status quo.

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)
Senior Democrat, Subcmte. on Education Reform

As Senior Democrat on the Education Reform Subcommittee, which has jurisdiction over the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), I look forward to improving NCLB next year through reauthorization. My goals for reauthorization are to ensure that the law is fair, flexible, and fully funded.

One of the many issues that Congress will consider is how well the law's public school choice provisions are working. We will carefully review these provisions to understand the extent to which they have helped schools improve student achievement. What is abundantly clear, however, is that expanding the public school choice provisions to include federally funded private school vouchers is unacceptable.

Using federal funds for private school vouchers simply would divert resources from important public school programs. That private school voucher proposals are being advanced in the context of the Bush administration's $40 billion underfunding of NCLB makes them even more egregious. Also, private school vouchers have not been proven to increase student achievement.

Next year, instead of promoting unnecessary, divisive private school voucher proposals, President Bush must join me and others to fix and fully fund NCLB. That way, every child can benefit from high-quality curricula and textbooks and highly qualified teachers.

Equal educational opportunity for all children ensures that every American can participate as an informed citizen in a free society. The way to ensure that each child has that opportunity is to make certain that all children, regardless of where they live, have access to a high-quality public school. Fully funding NCLB will move us toward that goal-private school vouchers will not.