Highlights Of Bush Education Plan

President Bush made education reform his first proposal to Congress Tuesday. His plan, a mirror of the $47.6 billion plan from his campaign platform, links federal aid to school performance and includes a controversial voucher program. Here are highlights of the Bush education agenda:

MANDATORY TESTINGsize>color>

• Require testing of children every year in math and reading from the third through the eighth grades, in order to gather reliable data on "who's falling behind and who needs help." States, districts and schools that improve achievement would be rewarded, while failure would have consequences.

TRANSITION PERIOD FOR TROUBLED SCHOOLSsize>color>

• Allow failing schools three years to improve their performance, so that pupils are able to achieve, before federal funds are stripped for other uses such as vouchers. Other corrective measures for such schools would include allowing students to use federal money for transportation to a public school with a better record. Removing the school principal would be another option.

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• Give $1,500 vouchers to the parents of students in public schools that are deemed failures for three years in a row. That money would help parents pay to send their children to private schools, including religious schools. "When schools do not teach and will not change, parents and students must have other meaningful options," Mr. Bush said.

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• Give local officials more control in how they use federal assistance and teach all children to read by third grade.

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