This op-ed by Secretary Margaret Spellings appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on September 26, 2006.

Pick up any newspaper—including this one—and you'll see them. Predictions that the world is getting "flatter." Warnings that other nations are catching up to America in the global economic race. Calls by policymakers and pundits that we must raise our standards to compete.

True enough. But instead of worrying, we have acted.

Five years ago, America raised its standards with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act [NCLB]. Its mission—to bring all students up to grade level or better in reading and math by 2014—is planting the seeds that will grow into a new generation ready to compete with the world. Its formula is simple: high standards plus accountability plus resources equals results.

We are witnessing those results in California. Fourth-grade reading proficiency has shot up eight percentage points in two years (2003-05), according to the California Report Card. Proficiency in math rose five percentage points. In San Francisco, nearly half the students scored at grade level in reading and math, compared to 40 percent in 2003.

No Child Left Behind calls on all schools to make adequate yearly progress (AYP) based on state—not federal—academic standards. Over time the bar is raised a little higher toward the ultimate 2014 goal. The law also calls for schools to raise the achievement levels of African American, Hispanic, Limited English Proficient, economically disadvantaged and disabled students—in other words, children once left behind. This gives parents, teachers and policymakers accurate and up-to-date data so they can take action before it's too late. Finally, the law gives parents in chronically underperforming schools new options, such as free tutoring and transfer to another public or public charter school that better meets their child's needs.

Curiously, some of the same editorial writers and talking heads who wring their hands about economic competitiveness are the first to complain that NCLB is too onerous, that it sets the bar too high.

I would ask them, whose son or daughter do you not want learning at grade level? Do you want your child left behind?

Many Golden State schools are proving the pessimists wrong. One of them is Riverside Elementary School in San Pablo. Seventy-nine percent of its students are poor, and 39 percent primarily speak Spanish, according to the Chronicle. For years the school had underperformed. In 2005, a new principal, Greg Santiago, was hired. Using data collected under NCLB, he worked with teachers to diagnose students' individual needs. "That was extremely helpful," he said. "We look at the data, and then we talk about it." Today, Riverside has met its AYP goals two years running.

Another success story occurred in Orange County, where all but two schools in the Garden Grove Unified School District recently met or exceeded their goals, despite a 75 percent Limited English Proficient student body. "We use No Child Left Behind to set the targets we want to hit," said Superintendent Laura Schwalm. "We align all our actions and resources to hit those targets. And we believe the kids can do it."

Our kids are growing up in a world where what you know matters more than where you live. It is a time when 90 percent of the fastest-growing jobs will require post-secondary education or training. To prepare them to compete, we must bring them up to grade level first.

This is especially important in mathematics, the new currency of the global economy. We have made great progress among our youngest students. But older students still lag behind. In one recent test, our 15-year-olds ranked 24th out of 29 developed nations in mathematics literacy and problem-solving.

Last April, President Bush created the National Mathematics Advisory Panel to advise states on the best, scientifically based instructional methods to prepare students to pass algebra and other advanced coursework. And the president's new Academic Competitiveness Grants and National SMART Grant program, signed into law this year, are awarding thousands of dollars to low-income students who complete a rigorous high school curriculum and who choose college majors vital to our nation's future, including math, science and critical-need foreign languages.

Going forward, we are working closely with states to help them comply with NCLB. States that follow the "bright lines" of the law—assessing students regularly, disaggregating data, hiring highly qualified teachers and informing parents about their options—may qualify for flexibility in measuring and reporting their results. We prefer collaboration to confrontation. Many states, including California, clearly have room to improve.

But the bottom line remains the same. No Child Left Behind has added a fourth "R" to reading, writing and 'rithmetic—results. We are beginning to see those results. And soon the world will, too.

Margaret Spellings is secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.