As students return to school, all eyes across the 11^th Congressional District are waiting to see the impact that the federal No Child Left Behind legislation will have on schools, school districts, students, parents, teachers and administrators. Georgians are rightfully concerned when good schools that are the pride of a community appear on the "needs improving" list.

As a Cobb County resident, I was as surprised as anyone to see some stellar Cobb schools fall short of the standards set by Georgia. And I know that people from across the district feel the same way. Georgians are right to pose questions about a system in which only 58 percent of the state's schools meet accountability goals.

I agree with many of the educators I have spoken with that there are downsides. Sometimes, great schools are stigmatized as "needing improvement" -- hurting their credibility and reputation in their communities. And all too often great, hard-working teachers and administrators take the blame for problems beyond their control.

Informed people can have legitimate differences about what "accountability" should mean and how high the bar should be set. But, I think we can all agree that we need standards. That, in a nutshell, is what No Child Left Behind does. Let's take a look at the legislation's positive aims.

When President Bush signed the bipartisan education reform legislation in January 2002, he and Congress hoped and still believe that No Child Left Behind will have a significant impact on improving America's public education system.

The No Child Left Behind legislation strives to erase the achievement gap between disadvantaged students and their more fortunate peers by requiring high standards and accountability for results.  In exchange for significantly more federal education funding, Georgia submitted an accountability plan to the U.S. Department of Education outlining how the state plans to ensure every student is proficient in reading and math by 2014.      

One of the biggest impacts of the No Child Left Behind legislation will be the new options and information that parents will receive.  For the first time, parents will have the option to transfer their children to a better performing public school at no cost to them if their school does not reach proficiency for two consecutive years.  If a school does not reach proficiency for three consecutive years, parents may either transfer their children or require the school to provide free tutoring.

In addition, parents will have access to information about how individual schools are performing in specific areas.  Report cards will be mailed to parents outlining overall school performance and how individual student groups are performing, including minority, low-income, learning English proficient, and special needs students.  For the first time, parents will receive a letter if their children are not taught by a highly qualified teacher, which leads to the impact that No Child Left Behind will have on teachers.

The lofty goals of the No Child Left Behind Act can not be achieved without the dedication of Georgia's teachers.  The legislation calls for each public classroom to be taught by a highly qualified teacher, competent in the subject matter they teach, by the 2006-2007 school year.  By striving to implement the highly qualified standard, we will ensure that all teachers are elevated to the level of our best teachers. To reach this standard, I sponsored -- and the House subsequently passed -- the Ready to Teach Act of 2003, which will hold colleges of education accountable for the quality of their graduates.

Congress understands that it will take additional resources to bring all teachers to this standard, which is why we have increased federal funding for teacher training by 35 percent since the legislation was signed into law.  Additionally, Congress has worked hard to expand the "Crayola Credit" tax deduction for teachers' classroom expenses to at least $400 a year.  The House has also passed legislation that would expand federal loan forgiveness from $5,000 to a new maximum of $17,500 for teachers who teach math, science or special education in disadvantaged schools.

By working together toward No Child Left Behind's goals, we can accentuate the positive impact that the legislation will have on Georgia's public education system.  This is the commencement of a national, state and local conversation to improve our public schools and ensure that no child is left behind.