[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2004, Book I)]
[May 11, 2004]
[Pages 842-852]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks at Butterfield Junior High School in Van Buren, Arkansas
May 11, 2004
Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. I appreciate it. Go
ahead and be seated. Thanks for coming. Todd,
thanks for having us. [Laughter] That story he told reminds me of the
time when I had just got elected Governor of Texas, and a friend of mine
said, ``Why don't you call old Bascom Bentley on the phone?'' He's an east Texas guy, and he said,
``Why don't you call Bascom Bentley on the phone and just wish him the
best.'' So I picked up the phone and dialed old Judge Bentley. He's one
of these east Texas judges. You probably know the kind I'm talking about
here in Arkansas. [Laughter] I said, ``Judge, this is George W. Bush
calling.'' He said, ``Come on, Cliff, quit pulling my leg.'' [Laughter]
So, Todd, I understand how those phone
calls can go. [Laughter] But we are serious about coming here because
Butterfield Junior High is a place of academic achievement. That's why
I'm here. It's a place--I'm here to congratulate this school and to hold
you up as an example to the country. You're raising the bar. You see,
this is a school that expects the best for every student. You're
reaching for high standards, and more importantly, you're making
progress toward meeting those standards. You're doing your job.
I know the school year ends on May 27th. And I bet some of the
students are
[[Page 843]]
kind of looking forward to that date. [Laughter] As a matter of fact, I
remember the feeling, myself, but summer vacation has got to feel better
for you after a year of accomplishment. And this past year, students at
Butterfield have accomplished a lot.
Not only am I here to hold up the school and talk about setting high
standards and making sure people achieve those standards, I'm here also
to thank the teachers and the staff members and the parents, who believe
in the potential of every young person and are willing to work hard to
make sure every young person achieves that potential.
Not only do we want to thank Todd for
being a principal; it turns out that really good schools have got really
good principals, people that are smart and capable and who believe the
best. But really good principals also have got hard-working staffs, and
I know how hard it is to welcome a President. I mean just take a look at
those light fixtures--I don't--I'm not sure if that's a permanent part--
[laughter]--of the gymnasium. But for all those who put on this event
and put up with my entourage, I thank you for letting me come by.
I appreciate your Governor showing up. He's a good friend of mine.
He's an excellent person--Mike Huckabee is
with us today, in case you don't recognize him. [Laughter] I'm proud of
Mike. He said, ``Look, I'm going to set an example by taking care of my
own body before I ask others to do the same.'' He's exercising, and he's
eating smart, and his health is a lot better for it.
I appreciate Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller joining us as well. Thank you, Governor.
I'm proud to be able to work with a really fine Member of Congress
from this district, in John Boozman. Where are
you, John? Yes, thank you. Yes, there he is. I know Cathy and Kristen and
Lauren are here as well, his wife, Cathy, and
two daughters. I'm glad you all are here. The only problem I've got with
Boozman is he keeps talking about the Arkansas-Texas game. [Laughter] I
know it. I shouldn't have brought it up. [Laughter]
I appreciate Dr. Merle Dickerson, who is
the superintendent of the Van Buren School District. Merle, thank you
for your hospitality. Thank you for your leadership. I appreciate so
very much--I know the importance of a good school superintendent. See,
when it came time to name the Secretary of Education, I picked a
superintendent in Rod Paige. He was the
superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. I saw him in
action in implementing policies that raise standards and encourage the
best for every student. So I know the importance of a good
superintendent, and I appreciate you, Merle.
Ray Simon is with us today. Where are
you, Ray? Oh, there you go--blending in nicely. Ray is the Assistant
Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. He's the former
director of the Arkansas Department of Education. He works for Rod
Paige. In other words, what I'm telling
you is we pick good people to staff the Federal offices, people who
understand the principles of the No Child Left Behind Act, which I'm
about to describe to you.
I appreciate Ken James, the director of
the Arkansas Department of Education. Thank you for coming, Ken. Mayor
John Riggs is with us. Where are you, Mr. Mayor?
Mr. Mayor, I'm glad you're here. People give me advice all the time, so
sometimes I like to give people advice. And Mr. Mayor, my only advice to
you is, fill the potholes. [Laughter]
I want to thank the Junior High Trailblazers for hosting me today. I
appreciate the students letting us come on your campus. I hope you don't
mind having the classes canceled for a while today. [Laughter]
I also met Alyse Eady today. Where are you,
Alyse? There she is. Alyse, thanks for coming. Let me tell you about
Alyse. She's a sophomore at Southside High, and she
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is a tutor at the Boys and Girls Club. The reason I bring up Alyse is
because I want to remind everybody here what the strength of this
country is.
Now, a lot of people talk about the military being the strength of
this country, and I see we've got some fine troops here. Thanks for
coming. And the military is an important part of our strength. As a
matter of fact, we're counting on the military in theaters overseas to
make us more secure. We're counting on brave men and women to help
spread freedom in parts of the world that desperately need freedom.
We're counting on our military to make America more secure by spreading
peace.
And that's what you're seeing right now. On your TV screens, you're
seeing tough work, because there are people who can't stand the thought
of free societies springing up in the middle--in the midst of hatred and
violence in the Middle East. But our troops are making sacrifices for
our short-term and long-term security. A peaceful Iraq, a free Iraq,
which is going to happen, will make America more secure.
Part of our strength is the military. I intend to keep the military
strong. Our men and women are going to have what it needs to keep the
peace. Part of a strong America is a prosperous America. That's part of
our strength; it's not the strength. It's part of the reason we're
strong, and we'll keep our prosperity strong. But the real strength of
America is in the hearts and souls of our citizens, and that's important
for our country to understand.
No, the true strength of this country happens when people hear the
universal call to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be loved
themselves. And here is a 10th grader in high
school who's heard that call, has taken time out of her life to mentor
and tutor children who may not have as much love in their life as she
has had because of her mom and dad, Lewis and
Lady.
My call to the citizens of this country, whether they be in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, or Van Buren, Arkansas, or anywhere else in the
country, is to take time out of your life and follow your heart and help
somebody who hurts, feed the hungry, provide shelter for the homeless,
surround somebody with love who wonders whether or not their future is
bright. No, the strength of this country, as witnessed by this young
soldier in the army of compassion, is the heart and soul of the American
people.
And another part of the strength of America is the fact we've got a
lot of teachers who care deeply about the students. The students--it's
probably going to take the students a little while to appreciate the
teachers. [Laughter] But I think when you look back, you're going to
find out these people are some of the most important people you'll ever
have in your life. And I'm not saying that just because I married a
teacher. [Laughter] By the way, Laura is doing
fabulous. She's a--[applause].
The teachers here need to know that our Nation appreciates every man
and woman who devotes a lifetime to building knowledge and character of
the young people of this country. Teaching is one of the great callings,
one of the most noble professions, and America deeply appreciates the
service of America's teachers. For those of you who are a teacher at
this school, thank you for what you do.
I'm here today to talk about making sure our schools work. A little
over 2 years ago, I signed into law an historic, bipartisan act of
Congress called the No Child Left Behind Act. And the theory of this law
was straightforward, and here's what it said. It said the Federal
Government is spending more money on education, but for the first time,
we're asking for results. That's a change.
In the past, we used to send checks from Washington--and by the way,
Washington should not be primary funder of schools in America. That's up
to the States and the local people. But we had targeted money,
particularly for poorer students. And we helped to send the checks, and
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we just hoped something good happened. That was the old way, ``Here's
your money, and maybe something positive will happen.''
Now we're sending the checks, and we're asking the question, ``Are
the children learning to read and write and add and subtract?'' That's
not that tough a question, is it? It seems like it makes sense for
taxpayers' money--in return for taxpayers' money, to determine whether
or not we're meeting some basic goals. If you don't ask the question,
you never find out the answer. If you don't say, ``We're sending you
more money; now please show us whether or not a child can read''--if you
don't ask, you'll never know until it's too late--until it's too late.
As well we better figure out who needs help early, before it's too
late. I mean, one of the reasons you ask the question, ``Can you read or
write and add and subtract,'' is you want to diagnose early. You can't
solve a problem unless you diagnose it. The importance of the No Child
Left Behind Act is to find out who needs help.
And so we've left behind an old attitude. See, I think some
schools--there was this attitude that certain students can't learn, and
so this--``Might as well shuffle them on from grade to grade.'' It's
easy to shuffle the so-called--what they call hard-to-educate students
through the system. It's easy to quit on families who might live in
inner cities or rural areas. It's easy to quit on kids whose parents
don't speak English as a first language. It's easy, but it is not fair.
And that's not how we do things in the United States of America.
I believe every child can learn. That's what I believe, and so do
the people here at this school. So we've raised the standards for every
public school. We're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low
expectations. We're--we require testing in the basics and holding
schools accountable for results. An accountability system is how you
determine whether or not what you're doing in the classrooms is working.
Under the new law, when children are falling behind, the schools
that need the most attention get extra help, extra money so the children
can catch up. Let me repeat what I just said. Under the new law, when we
discover that children are falling behind, that are not meeting
standards, those schools get extra help, extra money to make sure that
people are brought up to the standards. Schools will have time to
improve. They will be able to use the accountability system to determine
if they have the right curricula. Sometimes schools use the wrong
curriculum. Sometimes they think this kind of reading program works,
when, in fact, it doesn't. And they must have time to adjust, but at
some point, there has to be an end to mediocrity.
The attitude in this bill says no child should be trapped in a
school that does not teach and will not change. In other words, there is
time to change. There is time to change, but if you refuse to change,
and somebody is still trapped in the school that is not meeting
standards, then something has to happen. Parents need options to help
their child. Federal dollars will follow the child.
For example, if a school--a child is trapped in a school for several
years that is--that's not meeting standards, the Federal Government will
pay for after-school tutoring, and the parent can choose all kind of
tutoring options, whether they be public or private. One parent--a
parent can send the school--a child to a different public school. In
other words, when--there has to be accountability in order for a--I
mean, there has to be a consequence in order for an accountability
system to work. When schools do not improve year after year, without
consequences, we will not see change. That's just a fact of life.
And so the new law says, ``You've got time to meet the standards,
which we have raised. You've got time to improve.'' But because there's
now consequences, parents will have more say in their child's education,
and that's important, because we
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want parents to be at the center of the education system in America. We
want our parents more involved.
There's no better way to get parents involved than by publishing
test results for each school. Think about this. First of all, under the
old system, a lot of parents believed their local schools were doing
just fine because that's what they were told. ``Oh, don't worry, Johnny
is doing just fine, and our school is too.'' But they never measured.
And sometimes, that wasn't the case. Now parents don't have to take
anybody's word for it. They can see the results themselves. An
accountability system says, ``We'll measure, but we're going to post the
results for everybody to see.'' If they see excellence, just like at
this school, it will give them solid ground to thank the teachers and
the principals for doing the job we expect. But if they see failure,
like any good parent, they're going to want to know why. ``Why can't my
school be like Butterfield? What is it about our school that doesn't
match the performance of Butterfield Junior High?'' In other words, an
accountability system, if properly used, will help people achieve a
greater standard and will encourage more parental involvement.
Now, let me make sure you understand one thing: I strongly believe
in local control of schools. I believe firmly--there is a difference
between asking the question about whether or not a child is learning and
insisting that teachers and principals are free to teach the way they
see fit. Superintendents and school boards are free to make change where
they see change is necessary.
The No Child Left Behind Act raises expectations but leaves control
where it belongs, at the local level. See, you can't provide people
excuses. There's no better excuse than saying, ``I would have done it
this way, but the Federal Government told me to do it this way.'' I
fully understand that. In order to make sure that there is an
accountability system that works, you not only measure, but you then say
to people, ``It's up to you to chart the path to excellence.'' You don't
want Federal bureaucrats who you've never seen in Crawford County,
Arkansas, making the decision for the classrooms in county--Crawford
County, Arkansas. You need local control of schools so people who are
making those decisions are accountable to the parents and the local
citizens.
For more than 2 years, we've been putting the new reforms into
action. All 50 States, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,
have now drawn up plans to measure performance in every school. Notice--
they drew up the plans. See, the State of Arkansas drew up its
accountability plans. People in Puerto Rico decided the accountability
system to use. This isn't a Federal test. The local people, the State
people made the decision as to how to measure, and every State is
reporting the information to the parents.
And we're seeing progress. Let me tell you the facts. The test
scores for fourth grade math around the Nation went up 9 points between
the years 2000 and 2003. See, I'm able to tell you that because we
measure. If we hadn't measured, I couldn't tell you that. Eighth graders
improved by 5 points in the same period. In other words, math scores are
beginning to go up--still too low, but they're heading toward higher
standards. Reading scores for fourth graders increased in the vast
majority of States that tested between 1998 and 2003, including the
State of Arkansas. See, your reading scores are going up here.
I'll never forget the day a woman
looked at me--she's an African American friend of mine--and she said,
``You've got to understand something, Governor Bush''--at the time--
``reading is the new civil right.'' See, if you can't read, you can't
realize the great promise of America. That's why we want every child
reading. The good news is the reading scores are going up.
Since 2000, average math scores in Arkansas went up 13 points in
fourth grade,
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and 9 points in eighth grade. By the way, that's higher than the
national average.
Things are happening in the country. When you raise the bar and you
hold people to account, it's amazing the results you can get. And that's
incredibly positive. Here at Butterfield Junior High, you have every
reason to be proud. In 2003, this school met the adequate yearly
progress standard expected under No Child Left Behind. In other words,
the State put out a set of criterion and measurement standards, and you
met it, right here at this school.
Let me tell you what Traci Sellers said.
Is Traci here, by the way? Probably not. Traci--I'm about to quote you.
[Laughter] She's an English teacher. She said, ``The No Child Left
Behind makes us aware of what we're doing and how we can improve. It
encourages us as teachers to go that extra step, so that every child can
succeed.'' I appreciate your attitude. I appreciate your hope.
Think about what she said: ``It makes us
aware of what we're doing.'' In other words, are we doing the right
thing? Are we meeting expectations? ``Am I doing my job?'' she says,
``and the accountability system helps me understand whether I am or
not.'' She said, ``How can I improve?'' What a fantastic attitude.
Here's a teacher who loves her children, says, ``I want to make sure I'm
doing the job, and if not, I want to figure out how to do the job
better.'' That's why you have an accountability system. It says--it
encourages us. In other words, instead of being discouraged by the
system, it encourages.
That's not the way everybody feels in America. There are people that
don't like to change, and there are some complaints that I'd like to
address today. Let me first by telling you, I think it's easier to make
excuses sometimes than needed improvements. That's just human nature,
isn't it? But the problem is we don't need people making excuses for
educational failures in America. We need change.
When it comes to testing, I've heard every excuse in the book. I bet
the Governor has too. See, we put strong
accountability measures in when I was the Governor of Texas, and I went
around the State explaining it. And then the No Child Left Behind
brought an avalanche of complaints as well. Some object to regular
testing because they believe schools will just teach the test; that's
what you hear. I'm sure you've heard it. Well, think about that for a
minute. If a test measures basic knowledge, the basics in math or
reading, then teaching the test means you're teaching a child the basic
knowledge of reading and math.
In other words, for a child to pass a reading test, you had better
understand how to read. And therefore, in order to help the child pass
the test, they've got to know how to read in the first place. And the
reading accountability systems help people determine whether or not the
child has got the basic tools necessary to be a good reader. That's what
we're talking about here.
The whole point is this: It is not enough to hope that students are
learning. I mean, that's just, to me, an excuse why not to measure. We
need to know the ones who are learning and the ones who are not
learning. Some believe that the standards of No Child Left Behind are
too high. They say that if you raise expectations, all you're doing is
setting up children to fail. Yet this law requires students to perform
at grade level, which doesn't seem like it's too high a bar to cross.
I mean, we're asking children to read at third grade level if you're
in the third grade. Why is that raising expectations too high? I mean,
my goodness, that's what society should expect. If you want the kids to
learn to read at grade level, then you better insist they learn to read
at grade level. That's the standard that is important, and it's the
standard that we must hold true to if we want to make sure every child
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has a chance to succeed in our great country.
Teachers and parents here today know this when it comes to
standards: If you expect nothing from a child, if you expect low--if you
have low standards for every child, don't be surprised at what you get.
That's a fact of life. When you have high expectations, children have a
way of rising to meet those expectations. High standards do not set
children on a path to failure; high standards set our children on the
path to success.
Other critics say it is unfair to measure the performance of
minority groups and unfair to require schools to improve the scores
amongst all groups. That's a complaint you hear. These critics say we
shouldn't fault a whole school just because some African American or
Spanish students are not progressing. They're missing the higher--the
people who say that missed the entire purpose of the law, and that is to
make sure that no child of any background is left behind, see. That's
the purpose of this law.
The reason we measure success and problems group by group--that's
what's called disaggregating data. In other words, we want to know--we
don't want to look at the school as a whole; we want to look at the
people in the school. And that's the difference. We want to look at the
data based upon individuals. We want to know student performance. See,
you've got to make sure the schools are serving every student. So in
other words, when you look at the school as a whole, you don't know
whether or not certain children are being left behind. You don't know
whether certain children need extra help.
And there's an achievement gap here in America today that we've got
to close. There's an achievement gap between the test scores of white
and minority students. Nationally, on reading tests, black and Hispanic
fourth graders score at least 26 percentage points lower than white
students in the same grade. We've got to do something about that. If we
want this country to be a hopeful country for every citizen, if we want
to make sure every person can realize the American Dream, we've got to
close this gap. And what the accountability system--they'll help us
close that gap by determining who needs help. No, we want America to be
promising for every single child of every background so that not one
single child in America is left behind.
Another claim is that under the new law, we're punishing schools
that are not making progress. See, sometimes when you change, people are
quick to criticize. And one of the complaints is that schools get
punished that aren't making progress, but people who make that claim
ought to read the law. The truth is, the lowest performing schools are
getting extra money to improve. That's what the--that's the truth.
In 2003, we spent $234 million to assist underperforming schools to
make sure people aren't left behind. In other words, we said, ``Here's a
problem, and here's some extra money to help you fix it.'' In 2004,
we'll at least double that amount. In other words, the Federal
Government is saying, ``Measure, and, oh, by the way, when we find
mediocrity, we'll help, but the local people have got to change. You've
got to change what you're doing in order to make sure that children can
learn.'' We expect schools to do their job, and we're helping them do
their job. We also understand it can take some time to get there.
Some say the No Child Left Behind Act doesn't provide enough money
to meet our goals. First, let me tell you again what I said. It's the
primary responsibility of the State and local governments to fund
schools, not the Federal Government. But the additional testing required
by the law--in other words, the Federal Government did say, ``Okay,
you've got to test in return for money.'' We're helping to pay for the
tests. People say, ``Well, it's an unfunded mandate to put
accountability systems in place.'' No, the accountability systems are
largely funded by the Federal Government.
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Second, if my 2005 budget is enacted, Federal spending on elementary
and high school education will have increased by 49 percent since 2001.
In Arkansas, that's an extra $112 million Federal dollars for your
public schools compared to 2001.
Nationwide, since 2001, we've already increased funding for low-
income schools under Title I--that's the money for the poorest of
students--by 41 percent. That will rise to 52 percent if Congress
approves my budget, which would mean an additional $37 million to help
people in this State.
In other words, we're doing our duty. We understand that people need
extra help when it comes time to addressing problems early, before
they're too late, and the Federal Government is responding.
And I also want to remind you that we've done another thing--and
Laura is very much involved with this--we've kicked off a major
initiative to make sure our children can read at grade level by the
third grade. We have quadrupled Federal funding since 2001 for America's
reading programs--by the way, making sure that when we fund programs,
that they use scientifically based programs, reading--not programs that
sound like they might work but programs which actually do work in
teaching the children of America how to read.
This No Child Left Behind Act is a good law. It's a good, solid law.
But I understand some adjustments need to be made, even in the best
laws. So we've listened to schools and teachers, and we're responding in
practical ways. We're making sure that the progress of special ed
students is judged by standards appropriate to their development. In
other words, as you measure a special ed student, there must be some
flexibility in the measurement standards. And we know that.
We're giving schools more time to bring students who don't speak
English as a first language into the accountability system. If a fellow
shows up at school and can't speak Spanish--I mean English--and only
speaks Spanish, they need some time to learn the language before they
become a part of the accountability system. They don't need a lifetime
of learning, but there needs to be some flexibility in the
accountability systems.
We're giving schools in rural areas more latitude in meeting teacher
qualification standards. In other words, we're flexible in the
application of the law. Yet I will never compromise on this goal: Every
child can learn the basics, and every school must teach the basics.
A lot of the No Child Left Behind Act is--focuses on early grades,
and that's good. In other words, my attitude is, and I think the
attitude of the experts is, when we get it right early in the grades and
stay focused, we're going to have a bunch of kids getting into high
school who are literate, smart, and capable.
But right now we've got some people that need help when it comes to
reading. I mean, there have been some kids that have been shuffled
through that are now in high school, and they're struggling to learn how
to read. And we'd better get it right now, before they get out. And so
I'm asking Congress to pass a $100 million Striving Reading Initiative,
intensive intervention in children's lives who cannot read, before they
get out of high school. It's an essential part--I mean, that's the
minimum we can do. That's the basic part of making sure that a child has
hope.
We'll use resources to help the school districts to train teachers
so they can get the right kind of help and use a curriculum that works.
I mean, there are good curriculum that can work. The school districts
need the help of implementing those curriculum, and that's what this
money will be for.
I also proposed a $120 million increase for the Mathematics and
Science Partnership program. In other words, we want to make sure kids
can read; we also want to make sure they can do math and science. But
we've got some new jobs that are being
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created that require new skill sets, and it's not good enough to shuffle
kids out of the schools that don't know anything about math and science.
And so the creation of these partnerships will help school districts set
up effective math and science programs.
I believe that in every school, we ought to continue to raise the
bar, and one way to do so is to make sure that the advanced placement
programs are vibrant and active across our country. Right here at
Butterfield, you offer pre-8 AP courses, which is good--preparing these
children to take advanced placement. Advanced placement means you're
raising the bar as high as you can possibly go.
I've proposed increasing money from the Federal Government, double
the current amount we spend, for teacher training, to help good-hearted
teachers become AP teachers.
And I fully recognize as well there are some low-income students.
When they go home and say, ``Look, I'm getting ready to take the AP
exam,'' and the mother or father will say, ``How much does it cost,''
and they lay out the cost of the AP exam, the mother or dad says, ``No,
I think we'll use the money for something else,'' see. So the child
prepares to take the AP, and then Mom or Dad look at the fund--look at
the cost, and they say, ``No, we'd like for you to take the AP exam, but
we need this money for rent or food.'' The Federal Government ought to
help low-income students pay for the fee so they can take the AP exam.
We want to be raising the bar for every student, and the entry fee
should not be an excuse.
One of the things we need to do is encourage math and science
professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high
schools. And so we've got what's called the Adjunct Teacher Corps, which
is a neat program, when you think about it. Got somebody here in Fort
Smith, Arkansas, who's an engineer. They may have--he or she may have
worked for a while, and they may be retired, and the school district--I
don't know if the high school principal is looking for a science teacher
or not; he may be. But it makes sense to have--to encourage citizens to
get back in the classroom as a second career, to lend their talents.
You've got what you call a State Scholars program here in Arkansas.
Governor, thanks for implementing it. It's an
initiative that we announced here 2 years ago, which brings businesses
and college officials in the middle schools and high schools to
encourage students to take a more demanding coursework load. In other
words, when you get--people can get inspired to take tougher courses, we
ought to try to do so. The program is raising the completion rates in
algebra II and chemistry and physics among Arkansas high school
students. In other words, you've got more students now taking algebra II
and chemistry and physics, and that's going to benefit your State.
See, when you've got people with those skills getting out of high
school, and somebody is looking to put a business here, they can say,
``Look at this. Look at the base of knowledge amongst people that we can
employ in this State.'' People are likely to bring work here if the
potential workforce has got the basics in math and science. And that's
what you're doing. I want to expand the State Scholars program
nationwide, just like we've done here in Arkansas. It's effective. It
works.
And there ought to be incentives to encourage students, and one way
to do so is to give those students who finish a State Scholars program a
boost in their Pell grant scholarship. In other words, we're saying to
kids in high school, ``Reach higher. Here's some people to help you
reach higher, some local college folks or businesspeople. And by the
way, when you take a tougher course load and pass, you get additional
scholarship money from the Pell grant.'' We've expanded Pell grants. I
want to enrich them to encourage students to reach for the stars. So
I've sent a proposal to Congress where they would
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receive an additional $1,000 during each of their first 2 years of
college. This will help 4,000 Arkansas seniors a year. This will provide
an incentive for people to say, ``I want to do a better job in high
school.''
What I'm here to tell you is, I understand that public education is
essential to the future of this country. It's essential we get it right.
I'm here at Butterfield because I understand a good school is the
gateway to hope. And we want that gate open all across America.
After decades of missed opportunities, after missing chances to make
sure every child has got the basics to succeed, we finally reformed the
public schools of America. It took a lot of work. It took a lot of work
to convince people that change is needed. But Congress listened; we
passed a bill. Let me tell you something, when you get a ``yes'' vote
from both Senators of Arkansas and both
Senators from Texas and both Senators from Massachusetts,
you've got yourself a bipartisan piece of legislation.
And we're not backing down, see. I don't care how much pressure they
try to put on the process. I'm not changing my mind about high standards
and the need for accountability, because I know the promise it holds out
for the--[applause].
We're not going back to those days where we just kind of hope
something happens. We're not going back to the days where kids just got
moved through, and they weren't sure whether or not they could read, and
at the end of the system, they said, ``Oops, they can't read.'' Those
day were too pessimistic for me, and they don't represent the great
values of the United States of America. See, we believe in the dignity
of every human being. We believe in the worth of every child. We're
optimistic people. We believe in raising the standards. We believe in
giving schools the resources and flexibility they need. We have begun a
new era in public education for the good of the United States of
America.
I better quit before some of us fall out. [Laughter] I know it. When
you get the President, and he blows a lot of hot air--[laughter]--but I
do want to thank you for your hospitality. I want to thank the people of
this good school for believing in the best, for having such a clear
vision about what's possible, about believing in the worth of every
child. I want to thank the teachers. I appreciate your love and
compassion. I want to thank you for never settling for mediocrity, for
always aiming high.
I want to thank the citizens who are here, the moms and dads. By the
way, a child's first teacher is a mother or a father. That's the first
teacher a child has. I like to remind people that we need to promote a
culture of personal responsibility in America that starts with moms and
dads who understand they're responsible for loving their child with all
their heart. And by the way, a part of that personal responsibility
society is one that says if you've got a problem with the school in the
community in which you live, you do something about it. See? You don't
rely on some faraway Government to take care of it. Do something about
it.
Part of this responsibility era says if you're a CEO in corporate
America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
and your employees. And finally, a responsibility society is one in
which each of us loves our neighbor just like we'd like to be loved
ourself.
It's such an honor to be here at Butterfield, in Van Buren,
Arkansas. I'm proud to be here. Thanks for coming out to say hello. May
God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the United States of
America.
Note: The President spoke at 10:45 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to
Todd Marshell, principal, Butterfield Junior High School; and Gov. Mike
Huckabee and Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller of Arkansas.
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