Thank you, Governor Pawlenty, for introducing me. You and Minnesota Education Commissioner Alice Seagren deserve a lot of credit for holding schools accountable for every student's achievement. You're also leaders in preparing your students well in math and science. Students and families are lucky to have you on their side.

I would like to thank Senator Norm Coleman, Gene Wilhoit of the Council of Chief State School Officers, South Dakota Education Secretary Rick Melmer and the educators, policymakers and superintendents who have joined us today.

I was reading the newspaper this morning, thinking about facts and figures and strategies, as many of us seem to be doing lately.

How many superdelegate votes will it take to win the nomination? How many percentage points ahead - or behind - is your favorite candidate today?

With March Madness on the horizon, how many wins and losses will you have in your brackets? And as Spring training heats up, what's your team's record, and your favorite player's batting average?

What about your child's chances of graduating from high school on time, compared to a friend's in the next town over? Or, how about your child's chances compared to a student of another race or income level?

Sometimes, using data to measure progress and diagnose problems is challenging. But as policymakers and educators here in Minnesota and across our country will tell you, it's also key to lasting improvement.

Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we have collected a wealth of information about where schools are falling short, where students' needs are not being met, and where more rigor is needed. We've built an appetite for change, and we've done a good job of framing the problem. The next step is to use this knowledge to customize our efforts to improve.

Since becoming Secretary, I've worked with states and districts to make No Child Left Behind more flexible and responsive, while retaining core accountability, and I want to thank Gene Wilhoit for his support and partnership in this important effort.

Upon taking office, I immediately pledged to address three issues that educators were raising: measuring individual student growth over time, improving assessment and instruction for students with limited English skills and addressing the needs of special education students. Together, we have made progress on all three issues.

First, measuring student growth. Once states had developed the framework to take a snapshot of student skills each year, as the law requires, I invited them to join me in combining those static measurements to demonstrate progress over time. After the early pioneers proved that this method was viable, I recently invited all eligible states to adopt this more sophisticated measurement system, also known as the growth model or value-added approach.

In addition, I have partnered with states to develop better ways to measure progress for students with limited English skills and those with disabilities. Since my department released a draft framework last Fall to help improve assessments for English language learners, six states have volunteered to use it to help refine the way we assess these students' skills.

And in the coming weeks, seven states are scheduled to have peers review their assessments for students with disabilities. I'm confident that this process will help educators nationwide learn more about helping these children acquire grade-level knowledge, as we know they can. As always, we must share insights learned in the field to drive improvement nationwide.

Everywhere I go, I'm continuing our national conversation about how to strengthen and improve the law. This year alone, I've visited 17 states, meeting with 9 governors and 14 state education chiefs. I've met with members of Congress, testified before state legislatures, spoken at school assemblies, and held roundtables with business leaders, superintendents, parents, and community leaders.

Educators and policymakers agree: We must make sure educators have the best ways to chart student progress over time, the flexibility to improve struggling schools and more accurate ways to measure graduation rates. We must make sure that students who need extra help can get it.

As I've said before, I will continue working with members of Congress to address these changes legislatively. But students and teachers need help now. Therefore I am moving forward, as the President charged.

One thing we know for sure is that we must take dramatic action to improve our lowest-performing schools. We also know that not all struggling schools are alike, and that many states have identified a wide range of schools for improvement. That's why today, I'm announcing a new pilot that will help states improve underperforming schools. This "differentiated accountability" program will invite up to 10 states to create more nuanced ways of distinguishing between schools in need of dramatic intervention, and those that are closer to meeting goals.

In keeping with previous efforts, we will give preference to states that have been pioneers for reform-as Maryland, North Dakota, Louisiana, and South Dakota have been leaders on accountability, and Massachusetts has been a leader on standards. We will also prioritize applications from states that have identified many schools for improvement.

The goal is to help educators act now to help schools in every stage of improvement. We can't afford to let struggling students continue to slide downhill.

This is not one-sided flexibility. To be eligible, states must commit to taking serious action. They must have approved assessment systems to measure student achievement. They must publish timely, transparent information about educational progress and challenges, as well as options for parents. And they must commit to building their capacity for reform, and focusing their most significant actions around their lowest-performing schools, such as the so-called "dropout factories" that produce up to half of high school dropouts. By evaluating participants annually, my department will help identify proven methods for others to follow.

Even if your state is not currently eligible, I encourage you to continue working to strengthen your accountability system, and to set challenging goals for students and schools. While some states are ready now, others will need more time before they're ready to advance to the next stage of reform. But no matter what level you're at now, my department will continue working to help you improve.

I encourage potential applicants to think creatively about how to choose which schools will receive intensive help, as well as what types of intervention to provide.

For example, they may send their most experienced and effective teachers to work in the neediest schools - and reward them for doing harder work. They may decide to close some of the lowest performing schools. They may want to partner with the nonprofit and private sectors to develop new approaches.

Senator Coleman, I know you agree that just as educators test new theories, so must legislators. And this is a great opportunity to help inform the Congress of our best work around how to strengthen and improve NCLB. Just as we've done before, we must continue drawing on our national dialogue to help practices and policies evolve hand in hand.

This effort will require hard work and our best thinking. My department will continue to help in every way we can.

Towards this end, we are reaching out to the experts to help guide efforts to achieve long-term reform.

Our new National Technical Advisory Council will help shape how we put accountability into practice on a day-to-day level, including how we evaluate the performance of schools and districts.

An education policy working group will bring together officials from different areas and levels of government-along with education stakeholders and researchers-to look at the big picture of education policy. I look forward to working with them to support further innovation without watering down accountability.

Industries from medicine to commerce, from finance to entertainment, have leveraged data and accountability to improve efficiency and effectiveness, as well as customer service, satisfaction, and quality of life. Together, we can support the same transformation in education.

Of course, we will only achieve this goal if we continue facing our problems head on, instead of rejecting data and measurement because they can cause discomfort.

Going forward, I will continue to partner with those who embrace accountability. And in situations where policies favor the needs of adults over the needs of students, I will continue to side with the kids. I will use every authority at my disposal to strengthen their advantage, and I know you will, too.

After all, don't our children deserve to benefit from the same spirit of possibility and innovation that has made our country great?

We already have so much customization in our lives. Our computers are built to order, our eyeglasses are ready in an hour and every time I go online to buy a book, a window pops up that tells me if I like this one, then here are 5 more I should try.

If you're working on your golf swing or your tennis game, your instruction is tailored to you. Why shouldn't we do the same in education-an area that's far more critical to our long-term success as a nation?

As technology and innovation transform the way we live, work, and play, schools must become flexible and agile enough to meet employers'-and students'-changing needs. And that means tailoring instruction and using time and resources in different ways-so that every child gets the extra help they need when they need it…as well as the rigorous coursework they need and deserve.

Those with whom I have labored in the education policy arena know that if you challenge the status quo and are willing to roll up our sleeves and work for a better system, positive change takes hold. Not just in one life, but in the whole community. Together, we can ensure that today's students, and future generations, have access to an education that opens wide the doors of opportunity.

Thank you. I would be happy to answer your questions.