President Bush, flanked by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, praised New York City schools and his No Child Left Behind Act Wednesday in Manhattan.

Bush congratulated the city for receiving a prize for having the greatest overall improvement among urban schools. The president also pushed for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, signed into law in 2002.

Bush said the law has helped to improve test scores. He promised a reauthorization of the measure would come with more tutors for students who fall behind and rewards for teachers who take on challenging classrooms.

Schools Chancellor Joel Klein and Bloomberg endorse the measure, saying city graduation rates and math scores have risen 20 percent as a result.

Bloomberg attributes lower English scores to the fact that many students come to the city not knowing the language.

The American Federation of Teachers argues the act is bad for education. "Teachers have faced increasing pressure to teach the test and students have learned less history, science, art and music," AFT President Edward McElroy said.