    [Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents Volume 43, Number 17 (Monday, April 30, 2007)]
    [Pages 515-521]
    [Online from the Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    <R04>
    Remarks at the Harlem Village Academy Charter School in New York City

    April 24, 2007

        Thank you for the warm welcome. I appreciate you making a Texan feel
    right at home here in Harlem. [Laughter] I have had a remarkable
    experience here at Harlem Village Academy Charter School.
        You know, it's interesting, one of the children said, ``Why here?
    Why did you come here, Mr. President? Of all the schools in the country,
    why this school?'' And my answer is, because the President has an
    opportunity to herald excellence, and I have seized that opportunity. I
    have come to a school where some may say, ``These children can't
    possibly exceed high standards''--but, in fact, they are. Secondly, I
    wanted to be nice to the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.
        I think any time I can thank a teacher, I need to do so. So for the
    teachers here, thank you for teaching; for the principals--[applause].
        Interestingly enough, this week is called National Charter School
    Week--I mean,

    [[Page 516]]

    next week is called National Charter School Week, so a good way to
    herald National Charter School Week is, come to a charter school,
    particularly one that's working. I'm a big believer in charter schools.
    I think charter schools make a lot of sense, whether it be here in
    Harlem or anywhere else in the United States.
        And so a way to express support for a charter school is to come to
    one that's working and say to people, if you find excellence, you might
    want to take a look at why; what is it about this school that enables a
    parent to say, I really enjoy sending my child here. Or what is it about
    this school, where a child looks at the President and says, I don't mind
    being tested, because I know that they're going to help correct problems
    early, before it's too late. This school is working, and I appreciate
    you letting me come to talk about not only this school but also about an
    important piece of legislation called the No Child Left Behind Act.
        Before I do so, I thank Deborah for being what I call an educational
    entrepreneur. That means that--[applause]. So I said to Deborah--you
    know, I've never met Deborah before, and I said, how did you get
    involved in this school? She had a personal tragedy, and rather than
    allowing the personal tragedy to drag her down, she said, ``I want to
    make a contribution. And I can't think of a better contribution than to
    help start a charter school''--as a matter of fact, not only one but
    two. I also thought it was interesting, she said, ``If you're going to
    be somebody who helps start charter schools and works to make charter
    schools excellent, that you better be on the frontlines of education.''
    So she became the principal of this school.
        If you're interested in helping your community--whether you be an
    individual, such as a Deborah, or a corporation, for example--promote
    school excellence, do something for the community in which you live. A
    lot of times if you wait for government, things won't happen. She's
    proven my case. She says, ``I want to be involved, and I want to start
    some schools.'' Corporate America needs to take the same interest in
    local schools if they expect there to be a--if we expect our country to
    realize its promise.
        Mateo Myers introduces Dr. Kenny and introduces me--Mateo Myers. So
    I said to a lot of the kids here at this school, ``How many of you want
    to go to college?'' They all rose--raised their hand. That's a good
    sign. In other words, this school believes in high expectations and
    putting in a child's mind the possibilities of achieving a dream.
        I appreciate very much Joel Klein. You talk about a guy who has
    taken on a tough job and, in my judgment, my humble judgment, is doing
    it with excellence, is Joel Klein. As a result of that endorsement, he
    may never find work again in New York, but nevertheless--[laughter].
        See, I love it when somebody heralds that which is working and takes
    on that which is not working. I like a man who says, ``The status quo is
    unacceptable,'' when it's unacceptable and is willing to do hard work,
    all aimed at making sure every child gets a good education. And we
    appreciate the standard you've set and appreciate the example you have
    shown, Joel.
        I want thank Ed Lewis, chairman of Village Academies. Ed Lewis is a
    successful businessman who, instead of taking his successes and
    disappearing, has taken his successes and used that which enabled him to
    be successful to plow back into a community. And that's an example a lot
    of other people need to see.
        People say to me all the time, ``What can I do, Mr. President? How
    can I contribute?'' Well, if you want to contribute, work on school
    excellence. I can't think of a better way to contribute to the future of
    the United States than to promote alternatives if the school systems in
    your community aren't--isn't working. In other words, just don't set the
    status quo if children are not meeting standards; challenge that status
    quo, and do something about it.
        I appreciate very much Nick Timpone, who is the principal here at
    Harlem Village. [Applause] That's a good sign. Like, I'd be worried
    about the silence, you know. [Laughter] It turns out that good schools
    such as this have good principals, people who work hard, people who, you
    know, motivate the teaching staff, people who listen to parents. And I
    appreciate you very much being at the center of this important school.

    [[Page 517]]

        Traveling with me today is the Secretary of Education, Margaret
    Spellings. I appreciate you coming, Madam Secretary. Her job is to work
    with local school districts so that the Federal, State, and local
    relationship is a collaborative relationship that actually works and
    doesn't get in each other's way. And her job is to implement No Child
    Left Behind. And I couldn't have picked anybody better to do so.
        I want to thank, again, Charlie Rangel. He is the chairman of the
    Ways and Means Committee. You can imagine what it's like traveling in
    the Presidential limousine down Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard hearing
    Rangel say, ``I was raised over here, and here's the hotel I worked in
    when I was a boy.'' You know, the people in Harlem have got a fantastic
    Congressman in Charles Rangel. He cares deeply--[applause]. He can agree
    with me a few more times, but--[laughter]--I don't expect him to. But I
    do expect him to do what he does, which is work for the good of the
    country. And I'm really proud to be with you. Thanks for coming,
    Charlie.
        Peter King, Congressman Peter King and Vito Fossella is with us
    today. Both of these Congressmen care about education. I appreciate the
    members of the New York charter school community who have taken time to
    come. I want to thank the Harlem community leaders who have joined us
    today. Thanks for letting me be here. I particularly want to thank the
    students for letting me come by to say hello. I've really enjoyed my
    trip here, and you've impressed me.
        I do want to say something about Virginia Tech, the Virginia Tech
    community. It's a community that still hurts, and the people in
    Blacksburg, Virginia, must know that citizens, whether they be in Harlem
    or anywhere else in the country, still hold those folks in their
    prayers.
        Schools should be places of safety; they should be a sanctuary of
    learning. And when that sanctuary is violated, the impact is felt all
    across the country. It's felt in every classroom. And I know you've
    worried about such violence here, as a result of the Virginia Tech. And
    I want to thank the principals and teachers for reacting and helping
    calm nerves and assure people that this is a place of safety and a
    sanctuary for learning.
        I have asked people in my administration to travel around the
    country, to listen to folks at the State and local level to determine
    what lessons can be learned from the Virginia Tech horror. Margaret
    Spellings is going to be a part of this team, as is the Justice
    Department, Health and Human Services. We, of course, will provide
    whatever assistance we can to Virginia Tech, but we also want to be a
    part of a review of broader questions that have been raised.
        And so they're going to travel the country. They're going to talk
    with mental health experts and educators and State and local officials,
    and come back and summarize what they have learned. And we'll share the
    summaries of what they've learned, all in the hopes of learning lessons
    from a horrible moment. It was--it's a tough time down there.
        I want to talk about schools, and I want to talk about educational
    excellence for every single child. And I want to emphasize that in my
    remarks--my hopes of the public school systems in every State and every
    community excel. That's our goal. The public school systems have
    provided great opportunities for a lot of Americans. One of the great
    assets of the United States of America is a public school system that
    works.
        I also believe that parental involvement is an important aspect of
    having a public school system that works, and I like the fact that
    charter schools encourage parental involvement. I like to be able to sit
    with parents and say, I have chose school for my child--chosen the
    school for my child--I could use a little extra help. [Laughter]
        Isn't that an interesting concept? ``I made the choice to send my
    child here.'' That has got a nice ring to it as far as I'm concerned. I
    appreciate the fact that the teachers involve the parents in the child's
    education. There's a lot of information flows that take place between
    the parent and the child, and the child and the teacher. I appreciate
    the fact that teachers give parents their cell phone numbers. I think
    that's an important way to make sure parents are involved in the
    education of their children.

    [[Page 518]]

        I appreciate the fact that folks here set high standards. I know
    this isn't all that profound, but when you set low standards, you get
    bad results. I used to call it the soft bigotry of low expectations. You
    kind of say, well, certain people can't learn; therefore, let's make
    sure the standards are low. This school challenges that soft bigotry and
    insists upon high standards. And guess what? That's what parents want.
    Parents want their children challenged. Parents believe that high
    standards are good for their children.
        I appreciate the fact that people go to school here from 7:30 a.m.
    until 5:45 p.m. That's innovation. That means somebody here is saying,
    ``I'm going to adjust the time the children go to school so that we can
    achieve high standards.'' I like the idea of schools having flexibility
    to meet the needs of their parents and their children. Maybe some
    schools around the country couldn't have that kind of innovation because
    the rules and the process say, well, you can't adjust that way. What I
    like are schools that focus on results, and then adjust the process to
    meet the results.
        I appreciate the fact that parents choose this school because it's
    safe. That's what parents want--they want safety for their children. I
    met with Vanessa Freeman. Her daughter, Krystal, goes to this school.
    She was struggling at her old school. The teacher said she was acting up
    in class in the old school. In other words, the parent, Vanessa,
    recognized there was a problem and--my mother probably got a few of
    those calls too--[laughter]--but, anyway, Vanessa transferred Krystal
    here to the Harlem Village Academy. She's learning algebra. She said her
    math teacher--her math teacher says her progress has given her goose
    bumps.
        In other words, something has changed here at this school. In other
    words, there is progress being made because the parent had an option to
    choose something different when the other school wasn't working. It's a
    powerful catalyst for reform, by the way, to give people those options.
    That's why I'm a strong supporter of the charter school movement--I
    appreciate providing different options.
        I want you to know that it is a national objective, an important
    national goal to make sure every child realizes his or her full
    potential. And that is the whole philosophy behind the No Child Left
    Behind Act. You know, when we put our mind to it, actually, Republicans
    and Democrats can work together; we did so to get this important piece
    of legislation passed.
        The philosophy behind the bill is this: When the Federal Government
    spends money, we should expect results. And by the way, when the State
    spends money, it ought to expect results too. Instead of just spending
    money and hoping for the best, the core philosophy of the No Child Left
    Behind says, we'll spend money, and we expect you to measure, and we
    expect you to post your scores, and we expect you to meet standards,
    because if you don't, you're failing in your obligation to educate every
    child.
        Now, if you believe certain children can't learn, then you shouldn't
    measure. In other words, if you think that, well, it's just a hopeless
    exercise, let's just move kids through the school system, then that
    makes sense not to measure--why would you--why waste the time? I believe
    every child can learn, and therefore, I believe every school should
    measure in return for Federal money, and then put the scores up early.
        I'll tell you why. I want the parents to be involved with education.
    And one way you're involved with education is, you're able to compare
    the test scores of your school to your neighborhood school. It's an
    interesting way to determine whether or not high standards are being
    met. In some cases, a parent will say, ``This is the greatest school
    possible,'' and yet when the test scores get posted, the reality comes
    home.
        Secondly, I don't see how you can solve problems unless you measure
    problems. How do you know whether a child needs extra help in reading
    unless you measure? In other words, the accountability system is step
    one of a diagnostic process that ends up making sure that each child
    gets the help that's needed to meet standards, high standards. And so
    the No Child Left Behind Act--a simple way of describing it says, if you
    set high standards, we'll give you money, but we expect you to meet
    those standards, and if not, there ought to be different options for the
    parents.

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        I appreciate the results of this school. In other words, it's
    interesting, isn't it, that the President can come and say, you've got
    good results here--because you measure. Teachers use the assessment to
    see what concepts students are mastering and which concepts ought to be
    continued and which concepts ought to be dropped. The data from this
    school that you--as a result of measurement, helps teachers tailor their
    lesson plans to the specific needs of the child. Isn't that
    interesting--the education system tailoring the needs to fit the--tailor
    the curriculum to fit the needs of the child. That may sound simple, but
    it's an unusual concept for a lot of schools.
        The school has a rapid response accountability system. In other
    words, you don't measure once and just kind of hope for the best for the
    remainder of the year; you track student progress closely from week to
    week. When student struggle, they receive one-on-one tutoring during the
    school day; if a child struggles, there is extra help on a Saturday,
    hence, No Child Left Behind. As opposed to the old system, where you
    just shuffled children through and hope for the best at the end, this
    school measures on a regular basis to make sure that we're dealing not
    with guesswork, but with results.
        I appreciate the fact that this school opened in the fall of 2003. I
    want you to hear this statistic: During the first year, less than 20
    percent of the fifth graders could meet State standards in math, only 20
    percent--[applause]--wait a minute; that's nothing to applaud for.
    [Laughter] That's, like, pitiful. Last year, 96 percent of the students
    from the same class were meeting State standards.
        One of the students was Kevin Smith. His mother says that when Kevin
    came to the Harlem Village Academy in 2003, he struggled. And now she
    says, ``He can do it with his eyes closed.'' That's a math student right
    there. [Laughter] Deborah Kenny says, ``Our school proves that children
    can achieve grade level, even when they start behind.'' And that's the
    spirit.
        We can see that No Child Left Behind is working nationwide. There's
    an achievement gap in America that better be closed if we want America
    to remain the leader of the world. It is unacceptable to me and it
    should be unacceptable to people across the country, we have an
    achievement gap in America.
        It's amazing what happens, though, when you measure. The percentage
    of New York City fourth graders meeting State standards in reading has
    increased by more than 12 percent over 5 years. The percentage of fourth
    graders doing math at grade level has increased by 19 points.
    Congratulations, Joel, for holding people to account. I know, people
    say, ``I don't like to test; you're testing too much.'' I don't see how
    you can solve problems unless you diagnose the problems. I don't see how
    you can met--high standards unless you test.
        I appreciate the fact that nationwide, 9-year-olds have made more
    progress in 5 years than in the previous 28 years combined on these
    tests in reading. How about that? In other words, we're beginning to
    make progress early. The pipeline is beginning to be full of little
    readers that are competent readers. And the fundamental question is,
    what do we do in junior high and high school? Do we keep the progress
    going, or do we fall off when it comes to holding people to account?
        I believe strongly that we ought to bring the same standards to high
    school that we've had in elementary--one through eight, or three through
    eight. That's what I believe. I believe if you want to make sure a high
    school diploma means something, you better have high accountability in
    high schools. We want the high school diploma to say, this person is
    ready to compete in a world in which the graduates are going to be
    competing with Chinese or Indian workers. In other words, it matters
    what happens now in our schools more so than ever before.
        And so part of the initiative to make sure that we continue to set
    high standards is to bring these standards to high school. I believe
    strongly that we ought to--the Federal Government has a role in
    expanding Advanced Placement courses all across the United States of
    America. I'm a big believer in AP. I think AP holds people to account
    and challenges people to realize their full potential.

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        We've got an effort right now to encourage 30,000 math and science
    professionals to become part-time teachers. Why would you encourage math
    and science professionals? Because if you've got the capability of
    competing globally in math and science, you're going to be getting a
    good job, is why. It's a practical application of U.S. resources to
    encourage 30,000 math and science professionals to enter classrooms to
    encourage people to be interested in math and science.
        You know, I met a math teacher here. The man went to Harvard--now,
    we're not going to hold that against him, but nevertheless--[laughter]--
    he's out there somewhere. [Laughter] He's teaching math. He'd been doing
    a lot of things, and he's teaching math right here at this important
    charter school, because he understands the importance of teaching a
    child math, in terms of that child being able to find good work and be a
    productive citizen in this challenging 21st century.
        Here are some ways we can improve the No Child Left Behind Act. My
    funding request has money for underperforming schools, when you
    recognize there's failure and these schools need help. I'm a strong
    believer in making sure that money follows children. And so when we find
    a child failing in meeting high standards, there ought to be extra
    tutorial money for that child. In other words, the measurement system
    not only helps determine who's falling behind, but it helps determine
    whether or not that child ought to get extra money now, early, before
    it's too late. That's been an integral part of No Child Left Behind.
    It's going to be a significant part of No Child Left Behind as we go
    forward.
        I believe strongly that we've got to make sure that we--if a school
    just won't change and continues to fail, that principals ought to be
    given additional staffing freedom. In other words, there ought to be
    flexibility--more flexibility as opposed to less flexibility when a
    school fails.
        I think we ought to empower mayors and other elected officials to
    take a more active hand in improving their schools. If you find failure,
    it's important to do something differently. And one way to do so is to
    encourage more power in the hands of our mayors to break through
    bureaucratic logjams that are preventing people from achieving
    educational excellence.
        And we ought to make it easier for officials to reorganize failing
    schools into charter schools. We just cannot allow the status quo to
    exist when we find failure.
        Another way we can help is to encourage our Nation's best teachers
    to take jobs in some of the toughest neighborhoods. And so we proposed
    increasing the investment in the Teacher Incentive Fund to nearly $200
    million next year. In other words, there's a way for the Federal
    Government to encourage teachers to take on jobs that are important jobs
    and making sure that every child gets a good education with a good
    teacher. The fund rewards teachers who defy low expectations. It
    provides incentives for people to come into districts all around the
    United States to challenge the softy bigotry that I was talking about.
        Third, parents of students in underperforming schools must have
    better choices. You find your child stuck in a school that won't teach
    and won't change, you ought to have a different option. I can't think of
    a better way to get somebody's attention that we're tired of mediocrity
    than to give a parent an option. I think there's a better--no better way
    to send a signal that folks are tired of mediocrity when it comes to our
    classrooms than say to a parent, you should have a different opportunity
    for your child, whether it be a charter school or a better performing
    public school.
        In Washington, DC, we did an interesting--made an interesting
    initiative, and that is, is that we provided scholarship money for poor
    students to go to any school they wanted. I like that idea. I think it
    makes a lot of sense. You know, we have Pell grants for poor students to
    go to college. I think we ought to have Federal taxpayers' money to go
    to poor parents so they can choose a different type of school if they're
    dissatisfied with the school their child is going to. And so I would
    strongly urge Congress to reauthorize and refund the D.C. School Choice
    Program and take a good look at our program that intends to expand that
    program.
        I do want to congratulate Governor Spitzer and Mayor Bloomberg for
    working with the

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    Chancellor here to increase the number of charter schools here in New
    York. I appreciate the fact that they're taking a bold initiative. As I
    understand, they want to double the number of charter schools available
    for the students here in New York, and that's a good thing. You know,
    Margaret is going to help you, to the extent that she can.
        So now we're in the process of rewriting this bill--reauthorizing
    it. Here's my attitude about this: One, Congress shouldn't weaken the
    bill. It's working. The No Child Left Behind Act is working. These test
    scores are on the rise. Accountability makes a significant difference in
    educational excellence.
        And so therefore, when Republicans and Democrats take a look at this
    bill, I strongly urge them to not weaken the bill, not to backslide, not
    to say, accountability isn't that important. It is important. We'll work
    with the school districts on flexibility when it comes to the
    accountability system. And I mean that there are certain ways that we
    can make this--the accountability system actually work better than it's
    worked in the past.
        But we will not allow this good piece of legislation to be weakened.
    And if you're a parent, you should insist that the No Child Left Behind
    Act remain a strong accountability tool so that every child in this
    country gets a good education. I'll reach out to both Republicans and
    Democrats again. Last time I signed the bill, I was on the stage with
    one of Charlie's good friends and colleagues, Congressman George Miller
    from California, Ted Kennedy, and two Republican colleagues of theirs.
    And it was--we worked well together.
        And so my pledge is that I will continue to reach out and work with
    the new leadership of the Congress, all aimed at making sure this piece
    of legislation goes forward and making sure it's funded, so that we can
    say, once again, we've got law in place that will enable us to give
    every child as good an education as possible so that not one child, not
    one, is left behind in our country.
        It's such an honor to be here. I love coming to a place where people
    defy expectations. I love coming to a place where you said, we're going
    to try to do something in a different way, that the status quo is not
    acceptable, so here we go. I love being with educational entrepreneurs,
    good principals, strong teachers, caring parents, and students who are
    going to be leading this Nation in the 21st century.
        God bless.

    Note: The President spoke at 2 p.m. In his remarks, he referred to
    Deborah Kenny, founder and chief executive officer, Village Academies;
    Mateo Myers, student, and Justin Fong, math teacher and department
    chair, Harlem Village Academy Charter School; Joel I. Klein, chancellor,
    New York City Department of Education; Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New
    York City; and Gov. Eliot Spitzer of New York. The Office of the Press
    Secretary also released a Spanish language transcript of these remarks.