[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 40, Number 20 (Monday, May 17, 2004)]
[Pages 856-865]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
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

[[Page 857]]

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 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

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hope you don't mind having the classes cancelled 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 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 tenth 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 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

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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 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

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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, 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

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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 
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

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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.
    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.

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    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 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

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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 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.

[[Page 865]]

    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.