More Resources Secretary's travel log

Indianapolis — On the last stop of her three-day, four-city swing through the Midwest, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today concluded her No Child Left Behind bus tour with visits to Andrew J. Brown Academy and the Children's Museum of Indianapolis. Highlighting Indiana student achievement gains over the past five years, Secretary Spellings underscored that No Child Left Behind is empowering parents and delivering results—and should be reauthorized this year.

Secretary Spellings kicked off the day at Andrew J. Brown Academy with Mayor Bart Peterson, the only mayor in the nation with the power to authorize charter schools. Joining students, teachers and parents for a morning assembly, Secretary Spellings applauded the Mayor's efforts to expand educational options for families and highlighted the innovative efforts of charter schools throughout the nation to achieve results for students. The Secretary also congratulated the Brown Academy students on their accomplishments under No Child Left Behind.

"Schools like Andrew J. Brown Academy are challenging students to achieve through high academic standards and innovative approaches to learning," Secretary Spellings said. "By renewing No Child Left Behind, we can build upon this progress with a workable law that holds schools accountable for helping students achieve grade-level success."

During the assembly, the Secretary announced two new U.S. Department of Education resources for parents that demonstrate how charter schools throughout the country are empowering parents with choices for their children. The Supporting Charter School Excellence Through Quality Authorizing book details successful models and practices and features Mayor Peterson's work to authorize quality charter schools. The Charter Schools Closing the Achievement Gap book profiles seven successful charter schools across the country that are helping students achieve high standards.

"Thanks to No Child Left Behind, parents are now equipped with the information to know how our schools are serving their children. No Child Left Behind empowers parents with the tools they need to be smart educational consumers and strong advocates for their children." Secretary Spellings said.

Following her visit to Brown Academy, Secretary Spellings made the final stop of her No Child Left Behind bus tour at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the world's largest children's museum. Visiting exhibits like ScienceWorks and the Biotech Lab, the Secretary discussed with students the importance of a strong math and science foundation to prepare them for college and the 21st century knowledge economy. Concluding her visit at the Dinosphere exhibit, Secretary Spellings read to a kindergarten class, emphasizing the importance of helping young students develop strong reading skills to prepare them to learn and succeed under No Child Left Behind.

For information on Secretary Spellings' proposals for the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/overview/intro/reauth/index.html.

For a copy of the Supporting Charter School Excellence Through Quality Authorizing book, visit http://www.ed.gov/nclb/choice/charter/authorizing/index.html.

For a copy of the Charter Schools Closing the Achievement Gap K-8 book, visit http://www.ed.gov/admins/comm/choice/charterk-8/index.html.

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