Achievement test

WASHINGTON -- Education is never far from the top of issues important to American voters, a lesson George W. Bush took seriously in his 2000 campaign and followed as president. Early in his administration, Bush got strong bipartisan support from Congress to pass the No Child Left Behind Act, the most ambitious federal initiative in a generation to improve achievement of students in public primary and secondary schools.

But that bipartisan harmony has ended: Democratic candidates for president accuse President Bush of breaking his promise to provide billions of dollars to implement the 2002 law and are proposing giving states flexibility from the law's mandates for annual student testing, higher standards for teachers, and yearly progress toward math and English proficiency for every child by 2014.

Republicans say the Democratic hopefuls, many of whom voted for the legislation, are desperately trying to reclaim the education issue from the president's compassionate-conservative agenda. In fact, Bush's approval rating on handling education has tumbled from a high of 71 percent in 2002 to under 50 percent now, suggesting to Democrats that there is a growing backlash against the tough accountability provisions and costs to states associated with implementing the new law.

Bush has vowed not to retreat from his education policy in his reelection campaign. Each of his Democratic rivals is pledging as president to increase federal funding for low-income public schools, special education, and teacher training.

The Democratic candidates also support enlarging Head Start, the federal preschool program, and they have put forward various early childhood learning initiatives, including universal prekindergarten.

Democratic hopefuls also are promising to expand access to college and help with tuition, which rose an average 14 percent at four-year public universities last year. Joseph I. Lieberman and Wesley K. Clark would enlarge federal Pell Grants for low-income students. John F. Kerry and Richard A. Gephardt would provide tax relief for tuition payers. John Edwards would give students who do volunteer work or who work part-time free tuition for one year at a public college. And Howard Dean would guarantee $10,000 a year in grants and loans to well-prepared college students.

The president will address college costs in the campaign, but he is not likely to endorse a proposal by a Republican congressman to penalize colleges and states that increase tuition faster than the rate of inflation, a White House official said.