Ted Kennedy

:This article is about the U.S. senator, for information about the ice hockey player see Ted Kennedy (hockey player).

No Child Left Behind

Senator Kennedy was a major player in the bipartisan team that wrote the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, which according to both Kennedy and President Bush was a compromise, and according to both their parties conceded too much to the other side.

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He then worked to get it passed in a Republican-controlled Congress, despite the opposition of conservative Republicans on states' rights grounds, and liberal Democrats opposing what was perceived as President Bush's initiative.

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Four weeks after the bill's passage, Kennedy reversed his position, calling the President and Congress to account for failing to budget enough funding for programs mandated by the law. He has since opposed the law on these grounds, and has divested responsibility for the bill.

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