This letter to the editor by Secretary Spellings appeared in the Denver Post on January 30, 2007.

"Unrealistic." "Not achievable." These were words once used to label the academic prospects of disadvantaged and minority children. Now, according to a recent survey conducted by Sen. Ken Salazar, they're being used to describe the goals of the No Child Left Behind act.

It's time to bust this myth. No Child Left Behind calls on students to read and do math at grade level or better by 2014. It holds schools accountable for steady progress each year until they do. As a mom, I don't think that's too much to ask. I believe most parents, whose views were severely underrepresented in the survey, would agree. They want their children to be taught to grade level now.

In 2005-06, 91 percent of Colorado's school districts met at least 90 percent of their adequate yearly progress goals as called for by NCLB—slightly better than in 2004-05. Nationally, math scores for young students have reached new heights, according to the Nation's Report Card, while achievement gaps in reading and math between African-American and Hispanic students and their white peers have fallen to all-time lows. This tells me progress is both realistic and achievable.

Of course, it will take time and hard work to achieve our goals. We are committed to working with our dedicated teachers and principals to make it happen. That is why President Bush has proposed the use of growth models to track student progress over time and offered new flexibility and resources for teachers and students in rural school districts.

Margaret Spellings
U.S. Secretary of Education
Washington D.C.