[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George H. W. Bush (1991, Book I)]
[April 24, 1991]
[Pages 423-425]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]



Remarks at the National Summit on Mathematics Assessment
April 24, 1991

    Thank you, Lamar. Thank you all. And let me just say how pleased I 
am to be here. I'd like to thank Dr. Frank Press for inviting me once 
again to this wonderful place. I know we're all grateful for the chance 
to have this meeting held here.
    I salute Dr. Bromley, who is at my right hand in terms of science. 
He's doing an outstanding job coordinating the science work for the 
White House and taking a leadership role in many of the most important 
issues of our day. And, of course, Lamar Alexander. The only problem 
I've got with Lamar is he has the propensity for working people to 
death. [Laughter] And we've announced this Education 2000 just last 
week. He's been grinding away ever since he got in this job. And I have 
this ugly feeling that he's going to kill me. [Laughter]
    But we were yesterday down in Annapolis together and a couple of 
days ago up where we saluted the Teacher of the Year, incidentally, up 
in West Virginia. But it's going to be like that because this is a team 
effort. And we don't want any of you to escape without at least letting 
you know we want your support, your ideas in terms of fulfilling our 
objectives for the Education 2000 program.
    When I first heard that I was invited to a math summit, I kind of 
had images of Gorby and I going head on head, you know, in long 
division, something like that. [Laughter] That's not to be, so let me 
just make some comments on the--[laughter]--maybe never, I don't know, 
but--[laughter]----
    I like what Lamar said about Tom Romberg's challenge assumptions. 
That's a lot of what our program is about. ``Think anew,'' as Abraham 
Lincoln called it. Your purpose here transcends public figures, talking 
about Bush and Gorbachev. It concerns our nation's future. Of the six 
national education goals that we established with the Nation's Governors 
down in Charlottesville, you're helping to realize one of the most 
ambitious: that American students be first in the world in math and 
science achievement by the year 2000.
    This challenging goal, worthy of a great nation and its future 
ambitions, plays an important role in our America 2000 Strategy to 
reinvent the American school. We can't expect kids to meet the test of 
worldwide competition unless we first establish world-class standards, 
standards that define the knowledge and skills we expect students to 
learn and master.
    Once we've set standards we must assess our progress in meeting 
them. I salute the Mathematical Sciences Education Board for hosting 
this conference, the National Edu-

[[Page 424]]

cation Goals Panel for this forum, this afternoon's forum. And above all 
I thank the educators and policymakers assembled here. You've labored 
for years to reach consensus on standards for mathematical skills and 
performance, and I commend you for your commitment and for your 
achievement. We can't blaze a trail to the future until we know where we 
stand, where we're at, if you will. If you'll excuse my ending a 
sentence with a preposition. [Laughter]
    The voluntary American Achievement Tests, a cornerstone of the 
America 2000 strategy, will measure achievement in five core subjects 
including, obviously, mathematics. I've challenged the Nation to have a 
test ready for the 4th graders of 1993 and to produce tests for 8th and 
12th graders soon after.
    I ask each of you to help the public understand the purposes of 
standards and assessments and to make sure that our achievement tests 
motivate and inspire students. Let's also see that these tests motivate 
and inspire the schools, that they make schools more accountable to the 
people they serve, that they restore the kind of competition and pride 
that's essential for educational excellence, that they tell us where we 
stand, so we may start the journey to wherever we want to go.
    We in the Federal Government are partners, we're partners with you 
in advancing the cause of educational excellence. Secretary of Energy 
Admiral Jim Watkins--James Watkins--has chaired a committee that's 
produced the first inventory of Federal activities that directly 
influence science, math, engineering, and technical education.
    As you know, we must improve training for precollege math and 
science teachers. We need to attract more women and minorities into 
science and technology. The budget that we sent to Congress this year 
calls for a 13-percent increase for math and science education, for a 
total of nearly $2 billion. But you understand that the Federal 
Government--and it's right that the Federal Government can only play a 
limited role in making America's students the first in math and science. 
Dollars alone won't get the job done. Real excellence demands a 
commitment from us all. Everyone's got to declare, everyone must 
declare, we will reinvent the American school. We will achieve our 
ambitious national education goals.
    And it can be done in many, many ways. Yesterday Lamar and I were 
down, as I mentioned, down in Annapolis. And it's inspiring to go there 
anyway. It was a beautiful spring day and all the midshipmen were lined 
up. And we had Colin Powell with us, and they gave him a wonderful, warm 
reception. But the thing that struck me the most was a program going on 
right there in Annapolis where some of these midshipmen go take their 
Saturdays and they go and get some kids out of the minority community 
down there--most of the students in this program are black--and they 
bring them to the laboratories on the campus and they teach them 
elementary physics. They begin to give them some hope and some 
inspiration, if you will. And it was wonderful.
    In the first place, I didn't understand anything the kids said 
because I don't know anything about physics. But it was really inspiring 
to see these young midshipmen who have a rigorous program, as we all 
know, giving of their time to help others. And that's some of what we're 
talking about here. It's not invented in Washington. These kids were 
doing it on their own down there in what we call a Points of Light 
program, the ability--propensity of one American to help another. And 
so, it was very inspiring.
    Another thing I want to report on our program: part of it is that 
you're never too old to stop learning. And so Lamar had my arm twisted 
up behind my elbow--my shoulder blade once again, and I announced that I 
would learn to use a computer. I am computer illiterate. Everybody in 
this room, obviously, knows how to run a computer. But I would like to 
report to you that I intend to undertake and fulfill that commitment, 
and today I learned to turn one on--[laughter]--push the button down 
here and one up here with a green thing on it--[laughter]--and out came 
a command to somebody that I had written out on the--I pushed a button; 
I was worried what might happen up there. [Laughter] But it was fun. And 
I will keep it up, and I plan to.

[[Page 425]]

    Enough frivolity. But, look, as you consider your principles, goals, 
and actions for math assessment, let me just ask you to keep a few 
questions in mind. Consider what it means to be the best in the world 
and the kind of balance our students will need between theoretical math 
and practical applied skills for life. How can we create tests to ensure 
not just that our best students are as good as any in the world but that 
our average students achieve world-class status? How can we emphasize 
testing that encourages better teaching, that doesn't weed kids out but 
develops better math skills for all?
    Every student, everyone, needs goals and challenges. Every school 
needs goals and challenges. I hope your work will help every single 
American student and every American teacher reach our national education 
goals.
    Many of you, Lamar tells me, have already led the way. Consider one 
member of today's audience. Larry Williams, a math teacher of Utah High 
School in rural Alabama, and a member of the Mathematical Sciences 
Education Board, has lit a fire under his students, many of whom come 
from poor or disadvantaged homes. His math teams can compete with any 
other teams in Alabama and throughout the southeast. When people ask how 
America can become first in the world in math and science by the year 
2000 I point to teachers like Larry Williams, dedicated professionals 
who help all our children reach their potential.
    All of you help set off an American educational renaissance, and I 
thank you for what you've done and for what you will achieve. And I came 
over to tell you and, once again, to pledge to our Secretary of 
Education that we at the White House will do our level-best to back you 
up every inch of the way.
    Thank you all, and may God bless you.

                    Note: The President spoke at 1:47 p.m. in the 
                        auditorium of the National Academy of Sciences. 
                        In his remarks, he referred to Secretary of 
                        Education Lamar Alexander; Frank Press, 
                        president of the National Academy of Sciences; 
                        D. Allan Bromley, Assistant to the President for 
                        Science and Technology; President Mikhail 
                        Gorbachev of the Soviet Union; Thomas A. 
                        Romberg, member of the assessment steering 
                        committee of the Mathematical Sciences Education 
                        Board; Secretary of Energy James D. Watkins; 
                        Gen. Colin L. Powell, Chairman of the Joint 
                        Chiefs of Staff; and Larry Williams, member of 
                        the Mathematical Sciences Education Board.