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U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today visited with military families at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as part of her No Child Left Behind Bus Tour. Secretary Spellings discussed ways the Department of Education has shown support for military families at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and throughout the world, as well as highlighted the importance of reading, math and science.

"The President and the Department of Education are committed to supporting military families and ensuring children of military families receive a quality education," said Secretary Spellings. "Programs like STARBASE here at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base are giving students the critical math and science skills they need to succeed in the knowledge-based economy."

The U.S. Department of Education awards Impact Aid grants to local school districts, in addition to Title I and IDEA funding, to provide assistance to military communities. The Department also works closely with the U.S. Department of Defense to help address the educational needs of military families at bases around the world.

Following the meeting with military families, Secretary Spellings toured the STARBASE program, a national Department of Defense initiative to increase at-risk 5th graders' interest in science and technology. Since 2004, the STARBASE program has supplemented local school districts with 25 hours of math and science activities, benefiting over 4,000 students in Ohio. Spellings also visited the Flight Deck Simulation Class and learned how to launch a water rocket with students.

After the rocket launch, Secretary Spellings joined preschool students from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base's daycare center to read The Story of Ferdinand as part of the Jumpstart Read for the Record campaign. Today's Read for the Record campaign is part of a nation-wide effort to break the record for the largest shared reading experience.

"Reading is the foundation of all learning," said Secretary Spellings. "It opens a world of discovery and imagination to all our nation's students, so they can become the future innovators and entrepreneurs that define America."

In the afternoon, Secretary Spellings travel to Cincinnati, Ohio to host a town hall meeting with parents and students at Withrow University High School and highlight the FAFSA4caster, a tool launched by the Department this Spring to help families better plan for financing college. On Friday, September 21, Secretary Spellings will make the final stop on her No Child Left Behind bus tour in Indianapolis, Ind., where she will join Mayor Bart Peterson at visit Andrew J. Brown Academy to discuss the growing role charter schools play in providing families with education options. Secretary Spellings will also visit the Children's Museum of Indianapolis, the world's largest children's museum, and highlight the important role of science and No Child Left Behind to prepare students to be the innovators of tomorrow.

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 .

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