The federal No Child Left Behind law stifles originality and forces teachers to focus on preparing students for tests, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton said yesterday. Although Clinton voted for the act in 2001, she criticized the program as underfunded and overly restrictive.

"While the children are getting good at filling in all those little bubbles, what exactly are they really learning?" Clinton asked delegates at the National Education Association of New Hampshire's annual meeting in Concord. "How much creativity are we losing? How much of our children's passion is being killed?"

In addition to overhauling what Clinton deemed the test-based approach to education, the New York senator called for universal preschool, higher teacher salaries and schools that emphasize self-discipline and respect, not just test scores. Clinton also criticized what she described as the outsourcing of tutoring and other services to private companies.

"This is Halliburton all over again," Clinton told reporters, adding that many of the companies likely have "very close ties" to the Republican Party. "We have these contracts going to these cronies who are chosen largely on a political basis, and we have nothing to show for it."

The No Child Left Behind law requires school districts to provide tutoring and other services to schools that don't meet standards. Clinton said that private companies have reaped $500 million annually from the arrangement but aren't held accountable for results.

Although the speech - Clinton's first major policy address in the state - was heavy on specifics, it also gave Clinton an opportunity to remind New Hampshire teachers of her own education background. Before her political ascent, Clinton worked in Head Start programs and as a lawyer for the Children's Defense Fund, and as first lady she wrote about child-rearing in her book, It Takes a Village.

Yesterday, Clinton interwove stories from her own life with policy proposals and excoriations of President Bush's leadership. Although several themes from Clinton's past speeches in New Hampshire emerged - notably her call for universal health care and the need for a renewed focus on the middle class - Clinton steered clear of campaign slogans. She spoke comfortably, often without notes, and the NEA's 300 delegates frequently broke into applause.

Her relaxed delivery, and personal stories, surprised Roger Lyder, a teacher at Pelham High School. "Obviously, she's speaking to a friendly audience," said Lyder, who hasn't decided on a candidate. But "I was actually quite impressed; I find the reports of her alleged stiffness greatly exaggerated."

Clinton's hour-long speech often served as an homage to teachers - whom she described as woefully underpaid - and to America's public education system, which she called "a guarantor of our democracy."

She began with several questions.

"How many of you have ever used your own money to buy school supplies?" she asked, as hands sprouted. "How many of you have ever been told by some well-meaning friend how lucky you are that your day ends at 3 p.m.?"

Despite having reservations about much of the No Child Left Behind bill, Clinton decided to vote for the measure to increase federal investment in education, she said. But President Bush failed to provide sufficient funding for the program, Clinton said, leaving school districts clamoring for money.

Clinton referred time and again to the middle class and working families, a central theme of her presidential campaign.

"I hate to tell that young child, but you're invisible to our president," Clinton said, describing a student attending a "crumbling" school. "If you are one of the 30 percent of our young people who has given up and dropped out of school, well you're invisible too. And if you're an educator who's working long hours without the pay, support and respect you deserve, you're invisible as well."

Excessive testing diminishes the opportunities for memorable and original education, Clinton said, recounting the mock convention her teacher organized in 1964. Clinton, whose parents were Republicans, longed to play Barry Goldwater in the debate. But her teacher, knowing her family's political leanings, assigned her to play then-President Lyndon Johnson. "I had to lock myself in the library, because we didn't talk about President Johnson in my house," Clinton said. "It was one of the greatest educational experiences I ever had."

Single page