    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2001, Book II)]
    [August 15, 2001]
    [Pages 974-980]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at Griegos Elementary School
    in Albuquerque
    August 15, 2001

        The President. Thank you for the warm greeting. It's an honor to be
    here on the first day of school. I can remember--I think I can still
    remember the excitement I felt when I was--the first day of school as a
    first grader at Sam Houston Elementary School in Midland, Texas. At
    least I felt--I felt the energy of the kids, and I kind of could relate
    to it. And I want to thank you for giving me a chance to come.
        I want you to know that the idea of coming here was Heather
    Wilson's. We were sitting around the Cabinet
    Room at the--right outside the Oval Office, and she said, ``I understand
    you're thinking about coming to New Mexico.'' I said, ``You bet.

    [[Page 975]]

    I used to spend a lot of time there when I was living in Midland, Texas.
    I think that's exactly where I intend to go during my stay out of
    Washington.'' She said, ``Well, if you come to Albuquerque, you better
    make sure you go to a school, and I've got a good one in mind.'' And I
    said, ``Yes, ma'am.'' [Laughter] Here I am. It shows what kind of
    influence she has as a Congressperson representing the great folks of
    Albuquerque, New Mexico. And I want to thank Heather for her service and
    for her recommendation.
        I'm also really thrilled to be here with the two United States
    Senators from the State of New Mexico, Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, both of them
    fine Americans. I want to thank the Lieutenant Governor, who is here.
    Lieutenant Governor Walter Bradley is
    representing the State officials, and I want to thank you for being
    here, Walter, as well.
        I want to thank--I made a pretty darn good pick when I asked Rod
    Paige to come to Washington, DC, from
    Houston, Texas, to become the Secretary of Education. I picked Rod for a
    reason, and I think Brad Allison, the
    superintendent of schools here, will understand why. I wanted somebody
    who had been in the trenches of public schools, somebody who had been on
    the frontline of insisting upon excellence for every single child, not
    somebody who had read it in a textbook or somebody who was a theorist
    but a hands-on Secretary of Education who had cut his teeth in making
    sure that all children, not just a handful of children but every child
    in the school district, received a good education. And Rod Paige did
    just that as the superintendent of the Houston Independent School
    District. He's going to make a great Secretary of Education.
        I was very impressed by Brad Allison's comments to me when I walked in. Sometimes people,
    when they meet the President, get a little tongue-tied. Not Brad.
    [Laughter] He said, ``I want you to know, Mr. President, our school
    district is committed to two things, excellence in academics for every
    child and strong character education for every child.'' He understands
    that the two go hand in hand, that a complete child is one that not only
    learns how to read and write and add and subtract but a child who also
    learns the difference between right and wrong. And I applaud that
    holistic approach to education, Brad, and thank you for your leadership.
        And I want to thank Eddie Lucero, too, the
    principal of the school. One of the things you learn when you spend a
    lot of time on public education, like I have done as the Governor of
    Texas and now doing as the President, that the quality of education in a
    particular school really depends upon the entrepreneurial spirit of the
    principal.
        You've got a fine principal here. You know
    how I know? You've got an accountability system that tells us that's the
    case. We're not guessing in New Mexico whether or not children are
    learning to read. We know, because your State is bold enough to adapt a
    policy that says, show us whether or not the children are learning
    before any child gets left behind.
        I just came from a second grade class. I want to thank Gloria--is she here, the second grade teacher? She is
    there. Gloria, thank you for your hospitality. Obviously, she has
    inherited on the first day of school a group of former first graders who
    were well-trained in reading. These kids are way beyond ``The Hungry
    Caterpillar,'' let me put it to you that way. [Laughter] They read it
    better than the President could read it. [Laughter]
        But I was very impressed. And I want to thank Gloria, but I also want to thank all the teachers, the
    teachers here in Albuquerque, the teachers all across New Mexico and the
    country, for taking on a very important profession.
        We can never thank our teachers enough. One of the things my
    wife is doing--and by the way, I'm sorry she's
    not here. She is--you would find her to be

    [[Page 976]]

    an articulate advocate for making sure every child learns to read. After
    all, she was the public school librarian when I married her. She also is
    going to spend a lot of time encouraging people to become teachers,
    encouraging the young to become teachers, encouraging those, for
    example, who have spent time in the military to take advantage of the
    Troops for Teachers program that we have worked with Pete and Jeff on to
    fund, to encourage people to get back into the classroom, to make sure
    that our kids have got the very best instruction possible.
        I want to thank the teachers. I also want to thank the parents here.
    The truth of the matter is, you're the first teacher for every child.
    It's important for all of us who have been fortunate enough to be a mom
    or a dad to remember the most important job we will ever have is to love
    our children with all our hearts and all our souls. The most important
    job a mom or dad will ever have is to make sure your child is healthy,
    well treated, and well educated.
        Good education starts in the living rooms of the citizens of this
    country. It starts with a mom or a dad saying, ``You turn off the TV and
    practice reading.'' It means, get rid of the tube and get into the
    books. That's where it starts, and I know that's hard. After all, Laura
    and I raised twins, and they struggled to get that TV on. But we spent a
    lot of time reading to them early and insisting that they practice
    reading as they came up. And that's so important for a mom or a dad to
    realize that.
        And after all, reading is the foundation of a good education. I'll
    never forget our friend, Rod, and my friend Phyllis Hunter of Houston,
    Texas. She said, ``Reading is the new civil right.'' I want you to think
    about that concept. Reading is the new civil right. Reading is the
    capacity for some child whose parents may not speak English as a first
    language to be able to succeed in America. If your child can read, your
    child can learn, and we want every child to learn.
        The question I like to ask every child I visit in the classroom is,
    ``Are you going to college?'' In this great country, we expect every
    child, regardless of how he or she is raised, to go to college. That's a
    goal we want every child to have. And it starts with making sure every
    single child can read.
        And so one of the things we've done is promoted a reading initiative
    based upon the science of reading, the sound science of what works.
    Laura recently hosted a big seminar in
    Washington, DC, bringing in folks who understand how to connect the
    brain to the words on the page. There's a science to reading. We found
    in my State that phonics needs to be an integral part of a reading
    curriculum to make sure every single child learns to read.
        And one of the things we're doing, as we're working with
    Pete on our budget, is we're tripling the
    amount of dollars available for reading programs all around the country,
    to help districts develop diagnostic tools and determine what little
    children need help early, before it's too late; to make sure our
    teachers are properly trained in how to teach reading; and to make sure
    there's intervention programs available if a child needs extra help.
        Reading is the whole basis for a good education system. And I want
    to applaud this school and your principals and your teachers for
    recognizing that and insisting that every child learn to read. I want
    you to understand, I said ``every child.'' I didn't say ``just a handful
    of children.'' I didn't say ``only those whose parents may make a
    certain income.'' I mean every single child, because, you see, I
    believe--and I know many of you all believe--that every child can read
    in America.
        We must challenge what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations.
    We must make sure the mindset that says certain children can't learn to
    read is eradicated all across America. See, it's so much easier to walk
    into a classroom of tough-to-educate children and say, ``We'll just move
    you through.

    [[Page 977]]

    That's the easiest path.'' And guess who gets hurt the most when that
    happens? Guess who gets affected the most in a system that has no
    accountability as its cornerstone? It's the children, the so-called
    hard-to-educate, because it's easier to quit.
        And one of the ways to make sure we never quit is, one, for the
    Federal Government to help, which we will do in reading programs. And by
    the way, I'm proud to announce, Mr. Superintendent, that Rod Paige and my
    administration has worked up a grant of $6 million, a 3-year grant to
    the Albuquerque school system for the magnet school programs in your
    school districts.
        No, we can help. And the cornerstone of the education bill that is
    still in the conference--and I'm confident the Members will work hard to
    get it out of conference so I can sign it, sooner rather than later--but
    one of the cornerstones of the bill says that we're going to hold people
    accountable for results.
        I love coming into a school district where I hear the superintendent
    and the principals say, ``Go ahead and measure us. We're confident that
    we've got the right curriculum. We're confident we've got the best
    teachers possible. We're confident that we're teaching our children the
    skills necessary to become productive citizens.''
        It's those school districts and States I get a little nervous about
    that say, ``We don't want any accountability.'' You see, that, to me,
    seems like an excuse to mask failure. We can't mask failure anymore in
    America. Every child is too precious. And so the cornerstone of reform
    says, the States and local jurisdictions will develop the accountability
    systems to let us know.
        And we want to know. Moms and dads need to know. You need to know
    whether your children are learning to read, early. And if they're not,
    we've got to make sure they do. You need to know the results. We
    shouldn't fear accountability in America. We ought to welcome
    accountability. We're a results-oriented society, and when we find
    results that are satisfactory, we'll praise them. But when we find
    children trapped into schools that won't teach and won't change, we've
    got to insist upon something else.
        I refuse to relent. I've heard all the arguments about
    accountability. ``Oh, it's too much Government,'' they argue. Wait a
    minute. If we're spending taxpayers' money, if we're spending the hard-
    earned money of people--the money of people, hard-working people--we
    want to know, don't we? Shouldn't we insist upon results if we're
    putting taxes into the coffers of the school system? Yes, of course.
        And then you hear people say, ``It's racist to test.'' Do you know
    what I think? I think it's racist not to test. I think it basically
    says--I think that attitude basically says, ``Hey, some kids can't
    learn. So let's don't test. Let's don't find the truth.'' We need to
    know the truth, and when we find the truth, I can assure you what's
    going to happen: Where reform is needed, reform will happen.
        There's nothing better to get parents involved in schools than to
    measure and report the results. There's nothing better than to have
    public report cards on accountability, so a mom or dad can know exactly
    where the school stands or where the children stand within a school.
        A lot of us discussed the need to get parents more involved, and you
    bet, every teacher wants parents involved. They know it will make their
    job better. But when there's success, a parent will be involved to thank
    the teachers. And when we're not doing as well as we should be, the
    parents will be involved, because every child is precious in a parent's
    eyes.
        We're making good progress around America. School districts like
    yours, Mr. Superintendent, are leading
    the way. You're showing them what can be done. I want to thank the
    school board members who are here. And I want to assure you, although we
    bring Washington rhetoric to Albuquerque, we believe in local control of

    [[Page 978]]

    schools in Washington. We believe in empowering the local people.
        We know one size does not fit all when it comes to education. I can
    assure you that the Albuquerque school district is different from the
    Rhode Island school districts, for example. And therefore, we need to
    have more flexibility when it comes to Federal law. So one of the
    cornerstones of the reform package is going to be to consolidate Federal
    programs and entrust local people to make the right decisions on how to
    apply that money.
        We're making good progress. We're making good progress challenging
    the status quo. And that's important, because every child is precious.
    And so, rather than ending my speech here, what I thought I would do is
    maybe answer some questions, if you might have any, starting with the
    students, and if not the students, maybe the parents, and if not the
    parents, maybe the Senators. [Laughter] No, forget that. I'm on my
    vacation. I've been answering questions from Senators for--[laughter].
        Anybody got any questions--any of the students? Yes, ma'am.

    Medicare

        Q. Are you going to try to do anything for the older people?
        The President. Am I going to--I can't hear you very well.
        Q. Are you going to try to do anything for the olderly people?
        The President. The older people? ``Olderly people?'' [Laughter]
    Well, the first thing we're going to do is, we're going to make sure
    we've got a health care system that meets their needs. We're going to
    make sure that Medicare--[applause]. And we're beginning to work on a
    Medicare package that says to our seniors, our Nation has made you a
    promise, and we intend to keep the promise, that there needs to be a
    prescription drug benefit as a part of Medicare, and that there needs to
    be more options and more choices for our senior citizens to be able to
    design a health care program to meet their particular needs.
        Medicare is old; it's antiquated; it's ancient. It is not
    responsive, and it needs to be fixed. And one of the dangers about
    fixing Medicare, it becomes what we call a hot political football.
    People try to use the issue to burn somebody who is trying to talk about
    Medicare. But I guess I must think I've got an asbestos suit on, because
    I'm going to talk about the issue until we get it fixed. It's an
    important issue to get it reformed, and I believe we can make some
    progress.
        I met with both Republicans and Democrats on this issue, and there
    seems to be a desire and a will to make sure Medicare is responsive. And
    so I think that's the most important thing we can do pretty quickly for
    the ``olderly.'' [Laughter]
        Yes.

    President's Experience as a Student

        Q. Were you a good student in fifth grade?
        The President. In fifth grade? [Laughter] I'm glad you qualified
    that for fifth grade. [Laughter] Yes, I was a good student in fifth
    grade. But I do want to remind you that I went back to my alma mater,
    which was Yale University, and I received an honorary degree. And I was
    giving--I gave a few remarks there, and I said, ``To the honor students,
    I say, congratulations. And to you C students, I say, you, too, can be
    President.'' [Laughter]
        But I like to read. I liked to read when I was in the fifth grade,
    and I still like to read. I read a lot. And it's important to read. It's
    really important to pay attention to your moms and dads and your
    teachers who are all encouraging you to practice reading.
        Yes.

    Teacher Recruitment and Retention

        Q. [Inaudible]
        The President. She's asked about the teacher shortage. There are
    some programs,

    [[Page 979]]

    targeted programs to try to recruit people. One is the Troops for
    Teachers program I mentioned, where we provide teacher-training money
    for people getting out of the military to get back in the classroom.
    That's a place where my wife is focusing to encourage those who may have
    had another career to get back in the classroom.
        The truth of the matter is, most incentives, however, are developed
    at the State level. One of the things that people get a little mixed up
    on is, they insist upon local control of schools but expect the Federal
    Government to pay teachers, for example. That's not the Federal role.
    The good folks in New Mexico have got to figure out whether or not you
    want to pay your teachers more.
        One of the most important pieces of legislation I signed as the
    Governor of Texas, we paid each teacher a $3,000 increase in my third
    term as Governor, with the attempt to make sure we retained our teachers
    and kept our teachers in place. I notice they worked on some health
    insurance during the last legislative session. The States are
    responsible for making sure the teachers are well paid.
        Now, the Federal Government, by giving maximum flexibility to monies
    coming back to the State, will help States prioritize, will help States
    have extra money. For example, if we can have--let me put it this way:
    By having flexibility, it lets States set the priorities necessary. And
    if a priority in New Mexico is the recruitment and retention of
    teachers, flexibility will help you do that. And so there are some
    things we can do; there's some grant programs. But mainly, it's up to
    the States to recruit.
        Now, one of the things that Laura can do, and I can do, as well, is
    encourage people who are trying to pick out a career to go to teacher
    college and to become a teacher. And so we're going to spend time doing
    that, as well. One of the things we've got to make sure of, however, is
    that our teacher colleges teach teachers how to teach, by using
    curriculum that works. And that's a very important part of--[applause].
        And finally, let me say one other thing. The other thing we can do
    is--we've got teacher-training money in the budget, and one of the
    things that's so important for teachers is to feel like they've got the
    tools necessary to teach. And finally, one other thing we can do for
    retaining teachers is to make sure classrooms are safe. As a part of an
    initiative that I've talked about and that Congress worked on is that
    we've got a teacher and principal and school board liability protection
    in the education bill that says, you cannot be sued for enforcing
    reasonable standards of discipline in classrooms across America. And
    that's a very important part.

    First Lady/Head Start

        Q. Mr. President, thank you. Welcome to my alma mater. I graduated
    from this school 30 years ago.
        The President. Did you make all A's in the fifth grade? [Laughter]
        Q. All A's, yes, sir. Mr. President, I understand here at Griegos
    there's a vacancy for a librarian. Do you think that Mrs. Bush would be
    interested? [Laughter]
        The President. I'll tell you something about Mrs. Bush, she is--she
    is doing a great job as the First Lady. She loves books; she loves
    children; and it's a perfect combination for her to have been a
    librarian. And one of the things she will do is spend a lot of time
    encouraging the formation of libraries and making sure teachers learn--
    know how to teach, and making sure children learn how to read.
        You know, another area where we can do a better job of is making
    sure Head Start is an early learning initiative, that Head Start
    provides children just the basics, the basics of learning how to read,
    so that when they come to Griegos Elementary School as kindergartners,
    they've got a good opportunity to accelerate.

    [[Page 980]]

        One of the things we've done is, we've said we're going to have
    accountability programs, starting in the third grade. Well, we've got to
    focus early, to make sure that all students get close to the starting
    line at the same spot, so that we don't disadvantage certain schools or
    children based upon the demographics. Head Start is a great place, and
    it's a wonderful program. It's a needed program, but it can do a better
    job of having an education component as a part of its curriculum.
        Yes, sir.

    President's Schedule

        Q. Hi, I'm Nicholos Connor, and I go to Rio Rancho High School.
    There are so many things I want to say and ask. Could you come to Rio
    Rancho High tomorrow? [Laughter]
        The President. No. [Laughter] Thank you. But good luck to you. What
    grade are you going to be in?
        Q. I'm going to be a sophomore.
        The President. Sophomore, great. You got a driver's license yet?
        Q. Permit.
        The President. Permit--that's a frightening experience, isn't it?
    [Laughter]
        Let me have one more question; then we've got to go. Yes, sir.

    President's Early Work Experience

        Q. What jobs did you have when you were in high school?
        The President. In high school? Let me think about that; it was a
    long time ago. I actually worked on a ranch in Arizona. And I worked in
    a law firm, in a law library. I was a--lawyers read a lot of books, and
    my job was to go around and collect the books after they had read them
    and put them back in the library--[laughter]--a lot of heavy lifting.
    [Laughter]
        But that's a good question. I think one of the things you ought to
    do when you go to high school is to see if you can't find a variety of
    work experiences. It's important to get as much experience as you can
    prior to entering what they call the real world.
        If you want to be President, I would suggest you become a Governor--
    [laughter]--because Governors make decisions, and that's what Presidents
    do. A Governor has got to be somebody who knows how to listen to people,
    just like a President does, and then have the willingness to make a
    tough decision and stand by it.
        And that's why it's such an honor to be the President. I like making
    decisions. But really, you know what I really like? I like being the
    President of the greatest nation on the face of the Earth, because we've
    got such great people in America.
        Thank you all for having me. God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 12:05 p.m. in the school's gymnasium. In
    his remarks, he referred to Gloria Schatzinger, second grade teacher;
    and Phyllis Hunter, consultant, Texas Reading Initiative.