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Philly School Welcomes Presidential Visit

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Jan 8, 2009 10:30 pm US/Eastern

Philly School Welcomes Presidential Visit

PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ― Students and faculty at a school in the Northern Liberties section of Philadelphia enjoyed a Presidential visit Thursday.

George W. Bush arrived in Philadelphia with the First Lady just before 10 a.m. in his final visit to the area as President. In his final policy speech before leaving office, President Bush commemorated the seventh anniversary of his signing of the No Child Left Behind law.

The outgoing president stopped by the General Philip Kearny School to defend the sometimes controversial measure.

"He's actually picked our school out of the three-thousands that are out there and I'm just very proud," said student Jared Frayley.

The school is said to have found success with the No Child Left Behind Law, which asks schools to improve student test scores every year.

"I firmly believe that thanks to this law, students are learning, an achievement gap is closing," Bush said.

During his remarks, President Bush joked about the upcoming end to his term saying he is relying on his wife's judgment about their new house in Texas for good reason: he has never seen it himself. The president told the school children, "That's called faith."

Several special guests attended Thursday's remarks, including the Reverend Al Sharpton.

While in Philly, President Bush also recognized the volunteer efforts of Adam Bruckner, an assistant coach for the Philadelphia Kicks who also donates his time to the school as well as the Helping Hands Mission.

"Obviously you don't volunteer to work with people for some kind of recognition, so in that way it seems a little unwarranted, but I'm looking forward to meeting the President," Bruckner said.

The No Child Left Behind law has grown more unpopular since it was enacted partly due to funding issues and partly because some parents think schools spend too much time on test preparation.

President-elect Barack Obama pledged during the campaign to overhaul the law, but his campaign also said he would not stop the annual tests.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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