INSIDE WASHINGTON

U.S. Education Secretary Rod Paige today issued the following statement in response to a report by the Education Trust on the department's implementation of the teacher quality provisions of the No Child Left Behind Act: "I have tremendous respect for the Education Trust and its president, Kati Haycock, and will take a close look at the recommendations of the report, but I disagree with the basic premise. "President Bush and I recognize that the highly qualified teacher requirements of the landmark, bipartisan No Child Left Behind Act are some of the law's most important provisions. Accordingly, the department has worked vigorously to educate the nation on the significance of the highly qualified provisions in the law and to ensure its implementation at the state and local levels. "The department is steadfast in its commitment to ensuring that every child is afforded quality instruction [...]