[Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 42, Number 40 (Monday, October 9, 2006)]
[Pages 1750-1755]
[Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

<R04>
Remarks at Woodridge Elementary and Middle Campus

October 5, 2006

    Thank you all. Thank you for the warm welcome. Thank you for 
inviting Madam Secretary and me to your school. It's nice to be 
introduced by somebody with a Texas accent. [Laughter] She's a good 
buddy, and she is doing a fine job as the Secretary of Education. And 
so, Margaret, thank you very much for your service.
    I'm glad to be at Woodridge as well. I'm here because this is one of 
America's fine public charter schools. I'm here to remind people that 
charter schools work, and they can make a difference in the lives of our 
children. So I want to thank you for letting me come. I want to thank 
the teachers and the administrators and the principals--and the 
principal for setting high expectations. I know that sounds simple, but 
you know what happens when you set low expectations? You get low 
results. And so a center of excellence is always a place of learning 
where people believe the best. And I want to thank the folks here for 
setting high expectations. I want to thank you for achieving results.
    I applaud the parents of the students who are here for being--and I 
applaud you for being involved in the life of your children, 
particularly when it comes to one of the most important aspects of their 
development, and that is school. And I want to thank the students for 
letting me come too.
    I want to thank Mary, the principal. You know, one of the things I 
have found, and I've spent a lot of time in schoolhouses as a result of 
being the Governor and the President, is that a good school always has a 
good principal. And Mary Dunnock must be a good principal, because this 
is a good school. And I applaud you for being an educational 
entrepreneur. An educational entrepreneur is somebody who is willing to 
challenge failure and mediocrity if she finds it, because failure and 
mediocrity are unacceptable in any classroom anywhere in the United 
States.
    I thank Donald Hense for joining us, founder and chairman of the 
board of trustees of the Friendship Public Charter School. Mr. Hense 
told me he had the opportunity of meeting my mother one time, and I said 
to him, ``Well, you met the A-team then''--[laughter]--``Now you met the 
B-team.'' [Laughter] But thank you for your leadership. I welcome the 
members of the Friendship Public Charter School Board. Thank you for 
coming.
    Being on a school board is difficult work, I know. Being on a school 
board that challenges the status quo is important work, and I thank you 
for that. It means a difference--I was in Lyle Brown's class. Lyle is 
not here. He's still teaching. But one of the things I saw was a teacher 
who loves being a teacher. And I applaud the teachers in this school and 
teachers all around the country who are adding to the great future of 
our country.
    I was in Max Brooks' class. He's not here either, but he is the 
facilitator in what's called a SmartLab. They didn't have SmartLabs when 
I was going to elementary or junior high school. They've got one here. 
And it's an innovative program that teaches people practical skills.
    You know, one of the interesting questions I like to ask to students 
when I go into the classroom is, how many of you are going to go to 
college? You'll be pleased--there you go--you'll be pleased to hear the 
hands went up. See, that's a good sign, when the principal and students 
and parents have encouraged our children to set a goal. Going to college 
is an important goal for the future of the United States of America, and 
I'm please to report that when I asked that question in both classrooms 
I was invited to go to, there was unanimity.
    The students have set a goal to go to college, and I reminded them 
that now is the time to work hard so you get to go; like, take advantage 
of the SmartLab; read more than you watch TV; practice your math and 
science. I want to applaud you, Madam Principal, for encouraging our 
students to aim high, and I thank the teachers for helping them achieve 
those dreams.

[[Page 1751]]

    In recent days, we have seen some sad and shocking violence in our 
schools across America. Yesterday I was in Colorado, which is one of the 
States that had received this sad and shocking news firsthand.
    Next week, Secretary Spellings and Attorney General Al Gonzales are 
going to host a conference here in Washington, DC, and it's an important 
conference. We're going to bring together teachers and parents and 
administrators and law enforcement officials and other experts to 
discuss ways to help our schools protect the children. See, it is 
paramount that the Federal Government work with the State government and 
local governments to make it clear that our schools are places of 
learning, not places where there will be violence. And so, Margaret, I 
want to thank you for that initiative, and I'm looking forward to 
hearing the results of the important discussions.
    I'm here today to talk about the No Child Left Behind Act. It's a--
this act is an important way to make sure America remains competitive in 
the 21st century. We're living in a global world. You see, the education 
system in America must compete with education systems in China and 
India. If we fail to give our students the skills necessary to compete 
in the world of the 21st century, the jobs will go elsewhere. That's 
just a fact of life. It's the reality of the world in which we live. And 
therefore, now is the time for the United States of America to give our 
children the skills so that the jobs will stay here.
    Oh, there will be jobs--don't get me wrong. But I'm talking about 
the high-paying jobs, the quality jobs, the jobs that will be helping to 
lead the world in the 21st century. And there's no doubt in my mind we 
can achieve that objective. And the No Child Left Behind Act was all 
part of making sure that we get it right in the schools. So when I came 
here to Washington, I made a focused effort to work with Democrats and 
Republicans to pass this important law. And the theory behind the law is 
straightforward: We'll spend more money on education, but in return, we 
want to see results.
    Oh, I know that may be too much to ask for some. It's not too much 
for this school. As a matter of fact, I get a little nervous when I hear 
people say, ``Well, I don't want to be measured.'' My attitude is, what 
are you trying to hide? How can you solve a problem until you measure 
the problem? How can you make sure a child is achieving what we all want 
if you don't measure early to determine whether or not the skills are 
being imparted?
    And so the No Child Left Behind says, look, we trust the local 
folks. I don't want Washington, DC, running the schools. That's up to 
the people in the States and the local community. I've been a strong 
believer in local control of schools. But I also believe it makes sense 
to ask the question whether or not a child can read, write, and add and 
subtract. I don't think it's too much to ask. I know it's an important 
question if we expect our children to have the schools--necessary to 
compete in the 21st century. I know the kids don't like tests, and I 
didn't like it either, to be honest with you. You hear people say, 
``Well, we're testing too much.'' No, we're just trying to figure out 
whether or not people have got the skills necessary to succeed.
    You know, I remember the debates when I was the Governor of Texas 
and Margaret and I were working on accountability systems. I remember 
somebody standing up and saying, ``It is racist to test.'' I said, uh-
uh, it is racist not to test, because there are too many children being 
shuffled through our schools without understanding whether or not they 
can read and write and add and subtract. I think it's important to hold 
people to account now to make sure the education system functions for 
all. And that's the spirit of No Child Left Behind.
    By measuring, it helps us determine whether or not a curricula 
works. Is the reading curriculum you're using working? That's a 
fundamental question a parent ought to ask or a principal ought to ask 
or a teacher ought to ask. The best way to find out is to measure to 
determine whether or not a child can read at grade level. And that helps 
you determine whether or not your curriculum are working.
    One of the things that I think is most important about the No Child 
Left Behind Act is that when you measure, particularly in the early 
grades, it enables you to address an individual's problem today, rather 
than try to wait until tomorrow. My attitude is, is that

[[Page 1752]]

measuring early enables a school to correct problems early.
    See, let's be frank about it. We had a system that just shuffled 
kids through grade after grade. I know some say that wasn't the case, 
but it was--let me just say, my State, the place I was familiar with. 
It's so much easier, when you think about it, just to say, ``Okay, if 
you're such and such a grade, you're supposed--age, you're supposed to 
be in this grade,'' and just shuffle them through. And guess who got 
shuffled through--inner-city kids, the hard to educate. It made it easy 
just to say, ``Oh, gosh, let's just--you know, let's don't worry about 
whether or not you've got the skills. Let's just put you here because 
that's where you belong.'' That's unfair to parents. That's unfair to 
the children. And the No Child Left Behind Act demands result for every 
child, for the good of the United States of America.
    There's an achievement gap in America that's not good for the future 
of this country. Some kids can read at grade level and some can't, and 
that's unsatisfactory. I know it's unsatisfactory for the educators who 
are here. It's unsatisfactory if you're a parent, and it's 
unsatisfactory for the President.
    You can't have a hopeful America if certain kids can read at grade 
level and others can't, and we don't address the problem. I'm proud to 
report the achievement gap between white kids and minority students is 
closing, for the good of the United States.
    How do I know? Because we measure. In reading, 9-year-olds have made 
larger gains in the past 5 years than at any point in the previous 28 
years. That's positive news. In math, 9-year-olds and 13-year-olds 
earned the highest scores in the history of the test. In reading and 
math, African American and Hispanic students are scoring higher, and the 
achievement gap is closing.
    Oh, I know people say we test too much, but how can you solve a 
problem until you measure? And how can you hold people to account when 
there's an achievement gap that is not right for America, unless you 
measure? Measuring is the gateway to success.
    Woodridge Elementary School gets measured. The accountability system 
helped your school identify struggling students and enabled them to get 
the help they need early. I appreciate the fact that you have 
intervention sessions with teacher assistance. In other words, we 
identify a particular child's problems, and then this school intervenes. 
You have specialized learning projects, extra tutoring.
    Each child matters. Every child has potential. All hands went up and 
said, ``I want to go to college.'' And this school recognizes that some 
students need a little extra help early to make sure they can realize 
those dreams. That's what measuring helps you to do.
    Woodridge has met standards for 3 years in a row. You've put in a 
lot of hard work, and you have the results to show for it, and I thank 
you for your contribution to the future of this country.
    If you don't make progress, you get extra help. One of the most 
important initiatives is the Supplemental Service Initiative. This 
initiative says that when we find a child that needs help, that child 
gets extra help--in other words, if a child is falling behind. Remember, 
I keep talking about individual children. It used to be when they 
measured, they just measured everybody, you know. And now we're forcing 
them to disaggregate results. That's a fancy word for saying, just split 
individuals out so we know.
    And when we find a child that needs extra help, there's money to do 
so. And there are options for parents, which is an important part of 
making sure there's parental involvement and making sure--an important 
part of making sure the strategy works.
    A parent can enroll their child in a free intensive tutoring 
program. There's money for that. If your child is not up to grade level 
early on, there's extra help available for each family to do so. Parents 
can transfer their child to a better public school if that school 
refuses to change. In other words, at some point in time, there's got to 
be some accountability. It's one thing to be talking the talk about 
educational excellence, but pretty soon, if nothing happens, a parent 
ought to be allowed to walk--and that means to another public school, 
just like Woodridge, see.
    If you're in a neighborhood and one school won't teach and change 
and another school will, I think it makes sense for a parent to

[[Page 1753]]

have the option, with space available, to be able to say, ``I've had it; 
I'm tired of my child being trapped in a failed school; I'm owed better 
as a parent and a property taxpayer than failure; therefore, I'd like to 
move my child to another school.''
    And that's what's happened to some of the students right here. Asia 
Goode--where's Asia? Oh, thank you for coming, Asia. Can I quote you? 
Thank you. I was going to quote you anyway. [Laughter] Asia first came 
to Woodridge; she was reading well below grade level. How do we know? 
Because she measured. Her teachers stayed after school to tutor her, and 
she caught up. Somebody said, ``It is my job to make sure this 
individual is not left behind and not just shuffled through.'' And I 
thank that teacher for doing that.
    Even after Asia reached grade level--in other words, we measure to 
determine whether a child can read at grade level--the teacher said, 
``Wait a minute; grade level is not good enough for you, Asia.'' I 
started off my speech by saying we're setting high standards. That's how 
you help somebody achieve educational excellence. Asia is now an honors 
student. She loves reading, and she sings in the school choir. And I 
congratulate her parent and the teachers and Asia for setting high 
standards and working hard to achieve those standards.
    Washington, DC, has a really innovative and interesting program that 
I strongly support, as did your mayor, Mayor Williams. Oh, I know it's 
controversial for some, but it rests on the premise that a parent ought 
to have different options if a child is trapped in a school that won't 
teach and won't change. I happen to think that is a good, solid 
principle on which to operate--that the parent is the primary teacher of 
a child and the parent ought to have different options for his or her 
child.
    And so the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program was enacted. And it 
wasn't easy to enact it. There are some who are willing to defend the 
status quo at all costs. That's okay. That's generally what happens 
sometimes in the political arena. But this is a program that enables a 
parent to transfer his or her child to a private or religious school if 
the parent feels like the current school isn't working. This program is 
aimed particularly at low-income students.
    Let's be frank about it; upper income families have got school 
choice. They can afford it. Low-income families don't. This program 
enables low-income families to say, ``I'm sick and tired of my child not 
receiving a quality education.'' Eighteen hundred low-income students 
have used these scholarships. One of them is Carlos Battle. Carlos isn't 
here, but I thought his quote might interest--he was in a school, and he 
transferred to Assumption Catholic School 2 years ago. In other words, 
his parents--family qualified, received a scholarship, and off he went.
    After transferring, he made the honor roll. He became the class 
president. He led the basketball team to its first championship. He said 
this, ``There is no limit to what I can do. And that not only makes me 
happier, but my mom can't seem to stop smiling.'' It is really important 
that as we think about how to make sure every child gets a good 
education, that we not only measure but we say that if things don't 
change, parents ought to have different options.
    The No Child Left Behind Act is good progress, but we've got a lot 
of work to do, and it starts with making sure that here in Washington, 
we don't soften our desire to hold schools accountable. As I'll tell 
you, look, there's a lot of pressure, and I'm sure the Congressmen and 
Senators feel that pressure. They feel the pressure because people say, 
``Look, we're tired of measuring.'' They feel the pressure because, you 
know, ``We're just teaching the test.'' I mean, there's every excuse in 
the book.
    But as we come time to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind Act, my 
attitude is, instead of softening No Child Left Behind, we need to 
strengthen it. The law is working. It makes sense. We must hold schools 
account--to account if we expect our children to be able to realize 
dreams. And if we want America to remain competitive, we must have high 
standards.
    You know, there's a--kind of a mindset at times, a culture that 
says, ``Well, you know, maybe certain kids can't learn, and therefore, 
let's don't have high standards.'' I reject that notion. I strongly 
believe every child has got the capacity. And all of us must demand that

[[Page 1754]]

the high standards be set and met. And so one of the top priorities next 
year for me will be the reauthorization and the strengthening of the No 
Child Left Behind Act.
    Here are some ways to improve the law. In order for every child to 
get up to grade level, there must be a quality teacher in every 
classroom. And one way to help the law is to help our teachers in an 
innovative way. We created what's called the Teacher Incentive Fund. It 
allows States and local districts to reward teachers who demonstrate 
strong results for their students. It's an interesting concept, isn't 
it? In other words, if your measurement system shows that you're 
providing excellence for your children, it seems to make sense that 
there ought to be a little extra incentive to do so through the bonus 
program, not run by the Federal Government--funded by the Federal 
Government, administered by States and local governments.
    I think it's very important to encourage our good teachers to teach 
in some of the toughest school districts. You know, when you find a good 
teacher, a good, high-quality teacher in a--for example, an inner-city 
district needs help, or a rural district needs help, there ought to be a 
bonus system available, an incentive program to say to a teacher, 
``Thanks; thanks for heading into some of the--you know, an area that 
is--that needs help, and here's a little incentive to do so.'' So 
there's some ideas that Congress can work on in order to provide 
incentives for our teachers.
    I believe we ought to encourage math and science professionals to 
bring their expertise into the classrooms. I remember going to a school 
here in Maryland recently. Margaret and I went over there, and I met a 
guy who worked at NASA. And do you know what he was doing? He was in the 
classrooms basically saying to seventh and eighth graders, ``Science is 
cool; take it seriously.''
    You know, it's important that you learn the skills necessary to be 
good scientists because it's important for the United States of America 
that we've got young scientists. And by the way, every neighborhood in 
America can produce young scientists. And therefore, encouraging these 
professionals in the classrooms as adjunct teachers makes a lot of 
sense, and Congress ought to fund that program.
    We've got to improve options. One of the problems we have in the 
Public School Choice program is, parents aren't getting information on a 
timely basis. So in other words, you got your kid going to a school. The 
school's accountability system says, ``Wait a minute; you're not doing 
as well as you should.'' And the parent gets notified after the next 
school year begins. That doesn't help.
    It kind of looks like people are afraid to put out results for some 
reason. And so we'll work with Congress to clarify the law and to 
strengthen the law to make sure our parents get timely information and 
useful information so that they can take advantage of the No Child Left 
Behind Act's--law that provides flexibility and transferability.
    We're going to work with school districts to help more students take 
advantage of free, intensive tutoring. You'd be amazed at the number of 
districts that don't use this extra tutoring. They don't take advantage 
of the extra money to help an individual child. Oh, they'll figure out 
ways to spend it--don't get me wrong. But the money is aimed for helping 
an individual succeed, and it's the cumulative effect of bringing these 
students up to grade level that will enable us all to say, we're more 
competitive for the future.
    I believe in opportunity scholarships. I believe that the program 
here in Washington, DC, ought to be replicated around the country. I 
call on Congress to create such a program for 28,000 low-income children 
as a beginning step to help parents challenge failure.
    We've got to do something about our high schools, by the way. I 
think there needs to be strong accountability in America's high schools. 
You've got strong accountability right here at Woodridge. It seems like 
it makes sense, if it's working, to extend that concept to our high 
schools.
    One out of every four ninth graders in America does not graduate 
from high school on time. That's unacceptable. If we want to be 
competitive, we better make sure that the skills that are now being 
imparted at elementary school and junior high carry on through high 
school. We don't want the good work

[[Page 1755]]

here at Woodridge to be lost because there's--because some say, ``Well, 
I don't need to get out of high school,'' or the accountability systems 
in high school don't measure up. And so what I want to do is, I want to 
have the same sense of accountability in our high schools that we have 
in our junior high and elementary schools--not to increase the testing 
burden but to help us understand whether or not we are achieving our 
national objective, which is giving our kids the skills necessary to be 
competitive.
    And so I think we need to fund testing early in the high school 
systems and to help students fix problems like we're doing in elementary 
school and high schools. I proposed a billion-and-a-half dollar 
initiative; Congress needs to fund it. I've also proposed a program to 
train 70,000 teachers over 5 years to lead Advanced Placement classes in 
our high schools. Advanced Placement works. It is a--it is an excellent 
program that helps our high schools set high standards. And it calls--it 
challenges our students to achieve great things by raising the 
standards.
    Many of you know about AP. It needs to be spread all throughout 
America. And step one is to make sure our teachers have the skills 
necessary to teach it. And step two is to help States develop programs 
that will help parents pay for the AP test. What we don't want is a 
child taking an AP class and having mom or dad say, ``It's too expensive 
to take the test.'' You pass an AP test; you're on your way. If you've 
got the skills necessary to pass an AP test, it means the education 
system has done its job, and our country is better off.
    And so here are some ideas for the Congress and the administration 
to work on as we think about how to reauthorize the No Child Left Behind 
Act. I strongly believe this piece of legislation is working. I know it 
is necessary to have this kind of rigor in our school systems to say we 
have done our job and given our kids the skills necessary to succeed. 
And I want to thank you all for serving as a great example. Thank you 
for inviting me. Again, I thank the teachers for teaching and the 
parents for loving and the students for reading.
    God bless.

Note: The President spoke at 11:02 a.m. In his remarks, he referred to 
Mayor Anthony A. Williams of Washington, DC. The Office of the Press 
Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.