Federal plan relies on spending more money

President George W. Bush's plan for improving America's schools is just the opposite of Missouri Gov. Bob Holden's: heavy on the spending but light on the accountability.

The No Child Left Behind legislation authorizes $28.5 billion in federal spending in fiscal year 2002, $8 billion more than this year. The biggest boost -- 20 percent -- goes to Title I, a decades-old program that has been proven to provide only marginal benefits to the students it serves.

States would have to enact minimum standards and make steady progress helping children meet them over 12 years. There would be federal help and money in the meantime, but in the end teachers and administrators could be replaced or the school converted to a charter school.

There are good points, like mandatory testing for students in grades 3-8, but the lag time for enforcement and the amount of money being spent are big negatives.