President Bush plans to travel to Chicago on Monday to celebrate the anniversary of the signing of the No Child Left Behind Act, his signature education reform and one of the biggest domestic achievements of his first term as president.

The act, which demands annual testing of public schoolchildren and holds them to standards of "adequate yearly progress,'' initially was enacted amid much bipartisan fanfare. The president had pressed for it in his first campaign, decrying the "soft bigotry of low expectations'' that had plagued American public schools, and he won the support of key Democratic leaders, such as Sen. Edward Kennedy, in its passage.

Yet, since his signing of the act six years ago on Monday, it has faced growing criticism from educators complainng that they are forced to teach to tests and from political leaders as well -- complaining that the government never put the money behind the act needed to help schools measure up to its demands. Even among Republican candidates for president now, the president faces calls for the abolishment of the act if the government won't fund it.

The president will make a stop in Chicago, where he also will meet with business leaders, to tout the progress which the act has brought to education, as he views it -- the White House cites gains among students, particularly minority students, in reading and math scores. The White House said today there will be no political events -- such as fundraising -- attached to this Chicago stop and "no new policy'' will be announced on Monday.

Asked why he is visiting Chicago for this event, White House Press Secretary Dana Perino today initially asked: Does the president need a reason to visit Chicago? "Pizza?'' she jested.

But, in a more serous vein, Perino added this: Chicago provides an excellent venue to talk about the importance of the No Child Left Behind law and how students, parents and communities are benefiting from it, as well as a great place to discuss the economy.''

The next day, Bush plans to leave for an eight-day tour of the Middle East -- starting in Israel and carrying him through Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt -- to promote the peace talks between Israeli and Palestinian leaders that were announced at a summit of Middle East leaders in Annapolis in November.

This morning, Bush spoke with Afghan President Hamid Karzai by secure videoconference. "The president will raise with Middle East leaders next week… the importance of supporting Afghanistan,'' Perino said.