In September, CREW requested that the Department of Education’s Inspector General (IG) investigate why federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) funds are being spent on educational products sold by Ignite! Learning, a company founded and headed by Neil Bush, the brother of President George W. Bush. Our letter to the IG can be found here.

Based on CREW's request, the Department of Education's IG is, in fact, conducting an investigation into federal spending on Ignite!.   The New York Times has the story:

The inspector general of the Department of Education has said he will examine whether federal money was inappropriately used by three states to buy educational products from a company owned by Neil Bush, the president’s brother.

John P. Higgins Jr., the inspector general, said he would review the matter after a group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, detailed at least $1 million in spending from the No Child Left Behind program by school districts in Texas, Florida and Nevada to buy products made by Mr. Bush’s company, Ignite Learning of Austin, Tex. Mr. Higgins stated his plans in a letter to the group sent last week.

Members of the group and other critics in Texas contend that school districts are buying Ignite’s signature product, the Curriculum on Wheels, because of political considerations. The product, they said, does not meet standards for financing under the No Child Left Behind Act, which allocates federal money to help students raise their achievement levels, particularly in elementary school reading.

Ignite, founded by Neil Bush in 1999, includes as investors his parents, former President George H. W. Bush and his wife, Barbara. Company officials say that about 100 school districts use the Curriculum on Wheels, known as the Cow, which is a portable classroom with software to teach middle-school social studies, science and math. The units cost about $3,800 each and require about $1,000 a year in maintenance.

Obvisouly, we look forward to the results of the IG's investigation.  CREW's Melanie Sloan explained why we asked for the investigation.  It's quite simple actually.  Ignite! does not meet the requirements of NCLB.   A family relationship with the President shouldn't change the law:

Melanie Sloan, executive director of the group, referring to No Child Left Behind, said: “A constant principle of N.C.L.B. is that children must be taught using scientifically proven methods. Ignite’s Cows simply don’t meet N.C.L.B. standards. This suggests that the real reason N.C.L.B. funds are expended on Ignite is because the founder and C.E.O. is the president’s brother.”