    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
    [January 3, 2004]
    [Pages 3-5]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    January 3, 2004

        Good morning. Two years ago this month, I signed into law the No
    Child Left Behind Act, the most important reform of public education in
    a generation.
        In that landmark law, we made our expectations clear: Every child in
    America will learn to read, write, add, and subtract at grade level.
    Schools are now required to test children regularly to make sure
    students are learning and that schools are teaching well.
        And when schools do not show progress toward high standards, we're
    giving parents better options, including tutoring for their

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    children or a transfer to a better public school. Above all, the No
    Child Left Behind Act required a change in attitude from the educators
    and public officials responsible for our schools.
        We will no longer write off some children as hopeless. We will no
    longer accept or excuse schools that do not effectively teach the
    basics. We will insist on high standards and accountability because we
    believe that every school should teach and every child can learn.
        For the past 24 months, schools and State governments have been
    putting the new reforms into action. All 50 States, plus the District of
    Columbia and Puerto Rico, have drawn up plans to hold every public
    school accountable for student achievement. We're measuring results.
    We're giving teachers the information they need to improve instruction
    and giving parents new options to help their children when schools do
    not measure up.
        We have recently received test results that show America's children
    are making progress. In 2003, math scores for fourth graders nationwide
    were nine points higher than in 2000. Math scores for eighth graders
    improved by five points. And a higher percentage of fourth graders
    tested at or above their grade level in reading.
        To mark the anniversary of the No Child Left Behind Act, I will
    travel this coming week to schools in St. Louis, Missouri, and
    Knoxville, Tennessee. Children at these schools once struggled, but in
    recent years, they have risen to meet our new standards. Their example
    shows that high expectations, a commitment to measuring achievement, and
    a belief in every child can change lives and turn schools around.
        Some critics have objected to these reforms because they believe our
    expectations are too high or that it is unfair to hold all students to
    the same standards regardless of background or that we're punishing
    schools that are not making progress. But the time for excuses has
    passed. Our reforms insist on high standards because we know every child
    can learn. Our reforms call for testing because the worst discrimination
    is to ignore a school's failure to teach every child. And our reforms
    identify underperforming schools because we need to direct our help to
    the schools that need it most.
        In 2003, we provided $234 million to assist the lowest performing
    schools that need the most improvement. In 2004, we plan to more than
    double that amount. We have increased Federal funding for elementary and
    high school education from about $25 billion in 2001 to more than $33
    billion in 2003, an increase of about 36 percent and the highest level
    ever.
        We've committed $1.8 billion in grants to help train tens of
    thousands of teachers to use effective reading instruction methods and
    materials. We expect schools to do their job, and we're helping them to
    do their job. So there's no excuse for failure. When we set a high
    standard, we are showing our belief in the capacities of every child.
    And when we prepare them to meet a high standard, we're giving them a
    better chance in life. High expectations set children on a path to
    success. I'm pleased to report that the No Child Left Behind Act is
    helping put more of America's children on that path so they succeed in
    school and in life.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 9:55 a.m. on January 2 at the Bush
    Ranch in Crawford, TX, for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on January 3. The
    transcript was made available by the Office of the Press Secretary on
    January 2 but was embargoed for release until the broadcast. The Office
    of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of
    this address.

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