    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2005, Book II)]
    [October 19, 2005]
    [Pages 1564-1565]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Following a Meeting With Secretary of Education Margaret
    Spellings
    October 19, 2005

        The President. Laura and I are proud to welcome our Secretary of
    Education here to the Oval Office. Secretary Spellings has just
    delivered what's called the Nation's Report Card, which is a sample of
    over 300,000 students from--in every State, as to whether or not they've
    got the capacity to read and write and add and subtract in the fourth
    and eighth grade.
        This is an encouraging report--thank you for coming, Madam
    Secretary--because it shows there's an achievement gap in America that
    is closing, that minority students, particularly in fourth grade math
    and fourth grade reading, are beginning to catch up with their Anglo
    counterparts. And that's positive, and that's important. It shows that a
    system that measures and focuses on every child is a system that can
    help us and achieve a goal that we really want in America, and that is
    every child learning to read and no child--and add and subtract and no
    child being left behind.
        This is an important yardstick. It's an important measuring tool. It
    will allow States to compare how they're doing with their neighboring
    States, for example. It also points up where we've got more work to do.
    We've got work to do in eighth grade reading. And that's why we've
    discussed the program, Striving Readers Program. We hope Congress funds
    that program to make sure that there's intense focus in the middle
    schools in reading and math, just like there's intense focus in the
    early grades in reading and math.
        And so, Madam Secretary, thanks for coming. Appreciate you
    delivering the report. No Child Left Behind is working.
        Secretary Spellings. Thank you, Mr. President.
        The President. Thank you.

    Note: The President spoke at 11:16 a.m. in the Oval Office at the White
    House.

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