[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2007, Book II)]
[September 26, 2007]
[Pages 1241-1244]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]
Remarks on the No Child Left Behind Act in New York City
September 26, 2007
The President. Good morning. Laura and I are
really pleased to be here in New York City and really pleased to be able
to be here with the mayor and the
superintendent and our Secretary of
Education. And particularly, we're
pleased to be with the students and principals of--the
principal and students of PS 76.
These are hard-working students who are learning to read and write
and add and subtract. And we had a chance to visit with them and learn
about their dreams, and we really appreciate you all being here. It's
exciting for us to be here.
Last week, the school system here in New York City received the
Broad Prize for Urban Education. This is one of the most prestigious
education prizes in the country. The award is given every year to large
urban school districts that have shown the greatest overall performance
and improvement in student achievement, while narrowing the achievement
gap amongst poor and minority students.
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In bestowing this recognition on New York City, the Broad Prize
Committee highlighted the city's strong leadership. And that starts with
Mayor Mike Bloomberg. The mayor is a
no-nonsense guy who understands that if you set a goal, you expect to
see results in achieving that goal. He knows how to ask tough questions,
and he's pretty good about moving aside bureaucracy that will inhibit
the people he has selected to achieve the goal. And the person he
selected to be the chancellor is Joel Klein,
who really is one of the country's finest school superintendents.
I appreciate both these men being here. And I want to congratulate you on this
well-deserved honor.
This city tackled the challenges of underperforming schools in such
a way that it has become a model for urban schools. This achievement is
a hopeful sign for other school districts across America. If New York
City can do it, you can do it. And one of the things that's interesting
about the prize and our ability to communicate with each other is that
if people are truly interested in figuring out how New York City
accomplished its objectives, they ought to e-mail the school district.
They ought to look at the strategy. They ought to figure out what the
mayor and superintendent have done to empower principals and teachers and parents.
And teachers and parents and the principals and the students also
deserve credit when it comes to recognizing this award.
I also believe that part of the reason why New York City did well is
because of the No Child Left Behind Act, which raises standards, insists
upon accountability in the schools all across our country. The No Child
Left Behind Act is working. I say that because the Nation's Report Card
says it's working. Scores are improving, in some instances hitting
alltime highs. Children across America are learning. The achievement gap
that has long punished underprivileged students is beginning to close.
And I'm going to spend a little time talking about that today.
First, I do want to recognize the Secretary of Education, Margaret
Spellings. I do want to recognize Louise
Sedotto, who is the principal of PS 76. You
know, one of the things that's interesting--I bet you Joel will tell you this--that when you find a school that is
performing well, you find a principal who is willing to think outside
the box and lead. And I appreciate you being here, Louise, and I
congratulate you and your teachers.
Principal Louise Sedotto. Thank you, sir.
The President. I bet you, when I ask your teachers, do they like
you, they'll say, ``We not only like her, we love her.'' [Laughter]
And I want to thank the students again who are here. And the reason
I'm glad they're standing here is because all the old folks up here
recognize that the future of our country depends on a high-quality
education for our children. And that was the reason why people from both
political parties came together in Washington to pass the No Child Left
Behind Act.
The law is based on this premise: The Federal Government invests
money in education, and we ought to expect results in return for that
investment. It's a pretty simple principle. If you're a taxpayer and
you're spending your money, you want to make sure that money gets good
results. And the best way to determine whether you get good results is
to measure. Instead of just hoping for the best, we've asked States to
set standards, to hold schools accountable so that every child can read
and do math at grade level.
Measuring results is important because it helps teachers spot
problems early. You can't solve a problem unless you diagnose the
problem, and it's best to diagnose problems early in a child's life.
Measuring results gives parents information. If you're interested in
getting parents involved in your schools, just post your results up for
people to read. It's amazing how it gets a parent's
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attention when the schools aren't meeting expectations.
A system that doesn't hold people to account assumes that certain
children cannot learn and that it's acceptable to shuffle them through
school. Well, that's not acceptable in America, to shuffle children
through school. That's what I have called the soft bigotry of low
expectations. Through the No Child Left Behind Act, we have challenged
that soft bigotry. And the Nation's Report Card shows we're making good
progress.
Here's how the Report Card works. More than 700,000 students from
every State have been tested. They've been tested in math and reading,
and here are the results. In math, the scores for fourth and eighth
graders were higher than they've ever been. In reading, the scores for
fourth graders were also the highest on record. The Nation's Report Card
shows that some of the achievement gaps amongst African Americans and
Hispanic students are narrowing. In the fourth grade reading, the
achievement gap between white and African American students is at an
alltime low. In the eighth grade math, the achievement gap between white
and African American and white and Hispanic students has narrowed since
2003. What all this means is, No Child Left Behind Act is working for
all kinds of children in all kinds of schools in every part of the
country.
And so we've got to build on the progress. And that means Congress
needs to reauthorize and strengthen the No Child Left Behind Act. The
act is working; Congress needs to reauthorize it and make it better.
Through this law, our Nation has made an historic commitment to
America's children, and we have a moral obligation to keep that
commitment. We must ensure that they have the skills they need to
succeed in life, and in a global economy, that becomes even more
important.
As Congress considers reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind
Act, I've offered several proposals to help strengthen it. And Secretary
Spellings is going to be on Capitol Hill
to explain why these proposals will make a good law even better. One, we
can lift achievement--student achievement higher by giving local leaders
more flexibility in the law as well as providing funding to turn around
troubled schools. I believe student achievement will be enhanced when
families with children stuck in low-performing schools have a
opportunity to send their child to a better school.
We should increase access to tutoring programs for students who
struggle and make sure these children get the special help they need. If
you measure and you find a problem, it's time to provide tutoring for
those children so they can get up to speed. That's what happens here in
New York City. The mayor and the
superintendent and the principal say, ``When we find a problem, we're going to address
that problem early.'' And it's working.
We should reward teachers who improve student achievement in low-
income schools. When you find a good teacher willing to go into a school
that needs help, that teacher ought to be given an additional incentive.
We should make sure our children are prepared for the jobs of the
future by expanding access to Advanced Placement courses and
strengthening math and science education. As yesterday's positive Report
Card shows, children do learn when standards are high and results are
measured.
And so my call to the Congress is, don't water down this good law.
Don't go backwards when it comes to educational excellence. Don't roll
back accountability. We've come too far to turn back. And so Congress
needs to work with this administration to pass legislation that helps--
gives our children the education they deserve.
I don't think there's anything more important than the education of
young people. I know that's how the mayor feels, and I know that's how the superintendent feels, and I know that's how Laura and Margaret
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feel. There's nothing more American than ensuring that all our children
have the chance to realize their fullest potential and their highest
dreams. And the improvement in New York City's public schools reminds us
of what we can achieve when we set big goals and work hard to meet them.
And so I'm proud to be here to congratulate the good folks of New
York City. I want to thank all involved with making sure our children
have the skills necessary to realize the great hope of America. God
bless you all.
Note: The President spoke at 10:29 a.m. at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In
his remarks, he referred to Joel I. Klein, chancellor, New York City
Department of Education; and Louise Sedotto, principal, PS 076 The
Bennington School. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a
Spanish language transcript of these remarks.