NATIONAL URBAN LEAGUE SUPPORTS THE CHILDREN’S DEFENSE FUND’S CAMPAIGN TO ‘LEAVE NO CHILD BEHIND’

New York, NY, May 23, 2001–The National Urban League– the nation’s oldest and largest community-based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream–supports the Children’s Defense Fund’s Act to Leave No Child Behind. Introduced by Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA) at a Capitol Hill press conference today, the comprehensive legislation is designed to address the needs of children and families in the areas of early childhood education, health care, affordable housing, job development and after school programs, and through the creation of national policy solve the issues of child hunger, poverty and failing academics.

Hugh B. Price, President & CEO of the National Urban League and Steering Committee member of the Leave No Child Behind campaign said, "For too long America’s children have floundered on the outskirts of national policy. The campaign puts children and families back in center stage where they belong and provides child advocacy networks–including parents, educators, human service providers, business leaders and policy makers–with the resources necessary to create an environment that nurtures the growth and development of our children such that they come to school ready to learn and are given the opportunity to grow into healthy, productive and compassionate adults."

During a time when the latest National Assessment of Educational Progress results show that 63% of black youngsters continue to read "below basic" in the fourth grade, the National Urban League has made early literacy an integral part of our Campaign for African American Achievement.

The League is a committed Partner to the Children’s Defense Fund. Numerous studies have shown that early literacy is crucial to the achievement of students in later years.

The League supports the Children Defense Fund’s premise that there are many components to surrounding children with the environment that makes early literacy possible, including aspects of health, parents working hours and family resources. It is for this reason that the National Urban League believes that the comprehensive legislation provided by the Leave No Child Behind Act is drastically needed.

Given the critical importance of all the bill’s provisions, the League urges the Bush administration and Congress to appropriate sufficient funding to ensure the success of these efforts.