In this new century and in this global economy, it is not only unacceptable to delay and defer needed reforms  -- it's self-destructive…we can't allow so much as one more day to go by without advancing our education agenda." These recent remarks by Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, resounds the need for education reform echoed by many parents and educators across the board. In 2002, President Bush enacted the No Child Left Behind Act, (NCLB) through bipartisan effort. This legislation has stirred great debate as to whether it is really helping our students and our teachers? Under NCLB, public schools are required to administer a state-wide standardized test annually to all students. Since enactment, Congress increased federal funding of education, from $42.2 billion in 2001 to $54.4 billion in 2007. Although one of the goals of this program is to create a universal educational standard in providing adequate education to all students, conversely, the achievement gap has widened amongst students of racial and social economic backgrounds. In Florida, the annual dropout rate in 2006-2007 was 2.4% for white students, compared to 4.7% for black students and 3.9% for Hispanic students. Furthermore, in Miami-Dade County, the overall dropout rates are higher than the state average: 4.2% for white students, 7.4% for black students and 5.3% for Hispanic students in 2006-2007. Moreover, lower academic performance among minorities leads to higher drop rates; lower numbers of minorities in college; higher rates of poverty among minorities; higher numbers of single-parent households; higher rates of incarceration among minority populations, particularly men. In the 100 biggest cities in America, over 58% of freshmen in high-minority schools do not graduate. The No Child Left Behind act has not improved our education because it financially rewards schools with higher success rates-which are schools that already have adequate funding through property taxes in prosperous neighborhoods. Thus, it puts more money into schools that already have money, while imposing sanctions on schools that fail.These schools fail because they are under-funded, overcrowded, and usually are located in at risk communities. Thus No Child Left Behind Leaves Many Children Behind. These statistics are alarming and call for meaningful education reform. I propose and am committed to the following: Quality Education:a) Providing more funding for education, particular to schools in need of resourcesb) Increasing teacher salaryc) Minimizing class sizesd) Incentive Pay for Teachers in hard to fill subjects such as Math, Science, and Reading More Accountability:a) Parental Involvement Programb) Teacher Qualification Trainingc) Accountabilty towards Administrators to sustain quality teachers More Alternative Education Programs:a) Increase Technical Schools and Life Skills Programb) More Oversight of Charter Schools The implementation of these programs will present challenges, which I am committed to advocating and implementing, so that our community-District 17 can move forward and improve. Education is a tool essential to build a better society, the lack of such creates devastation in our community.