    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book II)]
    [October 5, 2006]
    [Pages 1782-1783]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks at the Department of Education
    October 5, 2006

        I want to thank Secretary Spellings
    and her fine team for welcoming me here to the Department of Education.
    I have just reassured the Secretary and the folks who work here that the
    reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act is a priority of this
    administration. And the reason I say it's a priority is because this act
    is working. We strongly believe in setting high standards for all
    students, and we strongly believe that in order to make sure those
    standards are met, we must measure to determine whether or not the
    schools are functioning the way we expect them to function and the way
    the parents expect them to function and the way the taxpayers expect
    them to function.
        No Child Left Behind is working, and we've been strategizing here as
    to how to make sure we not only defend it during the reauthorization
    process but how we strengthen the law.
        And so I want to thank you all for your work. I particularly want to
    thank the teachers and principals who have taken the No Child Left
    Behind Act and have implemented it and have seen the dramatic results
    that can be achieved by rigorous academics and strong curriculum and
    hard work in the classroom.
        The most important function of Government at home is to make sure
    that a child receives an excellent education, and that's particularly
    important in a world that is becoming more globalized. I'm optimistic we
    can achieve our objectives. I know this law is working, and I look
    forward to working with Congress in the next legislative session to
    reauthorize and strengthen the No Child Left Behind Act.
        Thank you.

    [[Page 1783]]

    Note: The President spoke at 10:03 a.m. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.