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"They are far behind," the teacher says, explaining that while her kids have made definite progress during recent months, it is unfair to compare them with children of greater advantage who live in more affluent areas of town.

Melton teaches at one of several Title I schools in north Huntsville. Under the Title I program, her school receives additional funding from the federal government because the majority of its students are on reduced or free lunch programs. Almost all students in the north part of the city are black. "Schools in Huntsville are extremely segregated," Melton says.

It is places like this one that the Bush administration had in mind when it issued its blueprint for education reform in January. Congressional leaders are aiming to produce a bipartisan bill that would promote a greater sense of accountability and assistance for schools, where teachers such as Melton, 38, face the challenges of strengthening the basic skills of students.

Education experts agree that such schools need dramatic improvement. "We're not successfully educating children of color and low-income as we are middle-class white children," says Jim Scheurich, an education professor at the University of Texas-Austin.

Yet many educators remain unsure whether the proposed reforms will produce the right results. Bush's proposal for annual tests, for example, does not persuade Melton, recently named Teacher of the Year at her school. In order to increase the accountability of schools, Bush has proposed that states test students in grades 3-8 each year. Forty-nine states have some kind of educational testing standards, but only 18 test students in grades 3-8 annually.

The government would use the results from annual exams to determine whether to reward or penalize schools for their performance. Successful schools would receive financial bonuses as well as more control over how they spend federal funds. (The Bush plan consolidates dozens of existing programs into a few block grants that states would administer.)

For unsuccessful schools where test scores remain low over time, however, the President initially proposed awarding vouchers to low-income students to pay for tuition at private schools, for tutoring expenses, or for other educational services. Academically failing schools would not receive a bonus and their administrative funds would be withheld. (Congressional Democrats blocked tuition vouchers from Bush's education reform package, but they have agreed to support vouchers for private tutoring or relocation costs to another public school.)

Will Weak Schools Get Weaker?
Nationwide, educators have formed varying opinions about student testing. Melton, for example, holds a different perspective on annual exams from that of her mother, Carolyn Bradley, who is also a teacher. An educator at a Christian school in Brevard County, Florida, Bradley thinks annual testing sharpens the skills of her students.

She also believes it is a way to keep her profession accountable. "We need some measure to be fair to children and parents to make sure we are doing our job," Bradley says. "I think testing is good to see progress and to keep teachers on their toes."

Melton, on the other hand, worries that such a plan would only further penalize the struggling students in her school who already lack a strong foundation. In Alabama, one of the 18 states that tests students every year, Melton says the exam fails to take into account a student's background or learning disabilities.

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June 11 2001, Vol. 45, No. 8