[ ED Homepage ] Last Updated -- October 30, 1997, (lyp)
Mr. Chairman, I am pleased to have this opportunity to meet with you and members of the Task Force. Education is critically important to our nation as we prepare for the next century, and I welcome this opportunity to discuss education issues with you.
Education in America today faces a number of challenges. Some of our public schools are proud citadels of learning, while others continue to struggle. A great national movement to improve education began nearly 15 years ago, with the publication of the landmark report, A Nation at Risk. If there is anything that we have learned in the years since, it is this: Hard work pays off, and raising standards is the key to improvement. Several important measures of student learning show progress, especially in those areas--like mathematics and science--that have been targeted for improvement.
Average performance in math and science on the National Assessment of Educational Progress has improved since the late 1970s and early 1980s for all three grades tested and in every quartile, with the improvement in math equivalent to at least one grade level. Since these subjects have been the focus of national attention, the message here is that we can raise student performance if we work at it.
Our efforts paid off in the performance of our 4th graders on the Third International Math and Science Study, the largest international comparison of student achievement ever conducted. American students finished tied for second in science, and 12th out of 26 countries in mathematics. This was the first time that American students had ever scored above average in both subjects when compared with their peers in other lands. The performance of our 8th graders on TIMSS was not strong, however, and that told us that we need to keep standards high in every grade. Our 8th-grade math curriculum looks like the 7th-grade curriculum in higher-performing nations. This needs to change.
Another sign of progress is the tremendous increase in the number of high school students who take the rigorous academic courses recommended in A Nation At Risk. Between 1982 and 1994, the percentage of graduates who completed 4 years of English, 3 years of social sciences, three years of science, and 3 years of mathematics rose from 13 percent to 51 percent. This is still not nearly enough, but the figures show that more students are cracking the books, and that's important news. We talk a lot about "choice" in education. All students can "choose" to take challenging courses that stretch their minds. That's the kind of "choice" that we need to encourage.
When it comes to college admissions tests, scores also have risen significantly in recent years. The combined verbal and math scores on the SAT rose 15 points from 1992 to 1997. SAT math scores are at their highest level in 26 years. ACT scores are also on the rise.
These figures contradict the assertion that some people have made that our public schools have seen nothing but decline in recent years. On the other hand, I don't want to give you the impression that all arrows are pointing upwards. Student performance is still far from where it needs to be.
Reading is one important area where we must do better. In the most recent international study, America's 4th-graders came in second in reading, just behind Finland. However, we still have a large group of students who have yet to meet challenging standards. Forty percent of 4th-graders scored below the "basic" level on the rigorous 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) test. This sparked the President's "America Reads" proposal and his call for voluntary national tests in 4th-grade reading.
"America Reads" will organize and train reading tutors across the nation to help 4th-graders become independent readers. And the test will give us a way to measure student performance against national and even international standards of excellence.
I am pleased that former Secretary of Education William Bennett has supported bipartisan efforts to develop this voluntary national reading test, as well as a voluntary 8th-grade math test. The math test will include algebra and some geometry -- two subjects which are critically important to the future of young people. A report that the Department issued last week showed that 83 percent of all students who take "algebra I" and geometry go to college. Only 36 percent of those who do not take these courses go to college. Yet only 25 percent of U. S. 8th graders now take algebra.
Education is a state responsibility and a local function. Good schools are the result of dedicated teachers and principals, supportive communities, and involved parents. I am proud that the U. S. Department of Education played a major role in the creation and development of the national Partnership for Family Involvement in Education, which now includes over 3,000 organizations. But education is also a national priority, and the American people support a limited but important role for the federal government.
Federal investments in education represent less than 10 percent of all investments in education in our country. But every dollar is precious because we target priorities and pressing needs. For example, the Department supplies two-thirds of all student aid for college. We provide significant resources to assist at-risk children. And federal funds are often the seed money that gets local initiatives started. In educational technology and charter schools, for example, federal resources now account for about 25 percent of all start-up money.
The Department also disseminates the latest information on "what works" in education. President Clinton has said that the solution to every problem in education has been developed by somebody, someplace, and spreading the word helps other communities to duplicate those solutions.
The Department also promotes access and excellence in education through the administration of programs that are guided by a comprehensive Strategic Plan. One benefit of strategic planning is that it helps us to cut out programs that we can do without. Each of President Clinton's budget requests has included programs recommended for elimination or consolidation. To date, Congress has agreed to eliminate 64 programs that were consolidated or had accomplished their purpose, or that were more appropriately funded through non-federal sources.
Let me give two examples of this streamlining. In the reauthorization of the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act," elimination or consolidation shrunk 14 programs into 6.
And very shortly, we will have sent the entire Higher Education Act reauthorization proposal to the Congress. That proposal will eliminate or consolidate over 40 programs if enacted as we propose.
This streamlining has been an important part of our ongoing efforts to improve the performance of the Department of Education itself, which is the fourth goal of our Strategic Plan.
The Department is a much smaller agency than it used to be. Our staff of 4,600 employees is 40 percent smaller than the 7,700 who were employed in the Office of Education in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare in 1979.
We have also eliminated one-third or 714 pages of Department regulations. And through our ED-FLEX demonstration initiative, we are giving state-level officials broad authority to waive federal requirements that present an obstacle to innovation in their schools.
All this does not mean that we are sacrificing accountability for taxpayer dollars. We have moved decisively, for example, to address the longstanding problem of student loan defaults. With help from Congress, we have cut the default rate from 22 percent to 10.7 percent, while more than doubling collections on defaulted loans from $1.0 billion to $2.2 billion.
While I am proud of these and other improvements at the Department of Education, I recognize that much more needs to be done. And the ultimate measure of success is the improved performance of schools and students.
There is no "silver-bullet" solution to our education problems. Looking for one only distracts us from doing what needs to be done. The Department recently published a document called, "What Really Matters in American Education." Here are the things that really matter:
* Early childhood education and development that prepares children for school.
* Disciplined classrooms and safe and drug-free schools.
* High expectations and rigorous standards that challenge children to study hard and do their best.
* Teachers who are prepared to teach to high standards.
* A high degree of parental and community involvement.
* Access to computers and other educational technology.
* Learning opportunities that are reinforced by after-school and summer activities.
* Policies that give principals and teachers greater autonomy in return for greater accountability for student achievement.
* And public-school choice options such as charter schools that offer parents, students, and teachers real alternatives.
Virtually everything the Department does in elementary and secondary education is aimed at helping states and communities to put these elements into place in the classroom, where it counts. For example, the President has a proposal to help 100,000 teachers to become nationally board-certified. This would put at least one "master teacher" in every school in America to mentor other teachers and improve instruction and curricula.
And just this morning, in a speech in Chicago, the President focused on one of the greatest challenges facing us in education -- fixing failing schools. He offered several proposals for doing this. Our position is clear: If a school is failing, we should be willing to close it down or reconstitute it. And if a principal is slow to get the message, superintendents and school boards must be willing to replace them.
I am not surprised that the President tackled this tough issue today. He has made education our nation's number one priority. He believes, as I do, that it is time to get serious about education.
I am convinced that if we do, we can prepare every child for success in the 21st century. I am optimistic about the future of public education in America. I know that we can lift our children and our schools up.
Mr. Chairman, I look forward to working with you and every member of the Task Force to achieve this goal. Thank you very much, and I will be happy to answer any questions you may have.
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