TULSA, Okla. -- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today addressed hundreds of Indian tribal and community leaders in a speech to the 62nd annual conference of the National Congress of American Indians at the Tulsa Convention Center. Following are her prepared remarks:

SECRETARY SPELLINGS:

Thank you. Let me give a special thanks to your president, Tex Hall, and your executive director, Jackie Johnson, for inviting me today and for making education a top priority at the National Congress of American Indians.

I'm honored to address the tribal leaders here today on the 30th anniversary of the Indian Self-Determination Act. As you know, that bill actually had a slightly longer name. Its full title was the Indian Self-Determination and Education Assistance Act. Education goes hand-in-hand with self-determination. It empowers people to follow their dreams and achieve their potential.

And last year, President Bush reaffirmed our commitment to tribal sovereignty and self-determination with his executive order on American Indian and Alaska Native education. The order says we will work with tribal governments to provide every Indian child with a high-quality education. We know every child can learn to read and do math on grade level, and we can help them do it in a way that honors your traditions and culture.

As leaders, you understand the importance of setting high goals. Simply put, you get more when you expect more. President Bush and I believe children rise to the challenge of high expectations. But as you know, we haven't always given all of our children that chance.

Four years ago, we decided to challenge what President Bush calls the "soft bigotry of low expectations" and raise the bar for all of our students. We passed the No Child Left Behind Act and made an unprecedented commitment to ensure every child, including every Indian child, receives a quality education. And for the first time ever, we are holding ourselves accountable for closing the achievement gap between white and minority students within the next decade.

Today more than 90 percent of Indian students attend public schools. I know many of you have a special interest in schools funded by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA), which is part of the U.S. Department of the Interior. And I'm proud to report that for the first time ever, all BIA and public schools have plans in place to leave no Indian child behind.

We can already see the law is making a real difference. In July, we received the Nation's long term Report Card. And the results were impressive. Reading scores for nine-year-olds increased more over the last five years than in all the years between 1971 and 1999 combined. Earlier this month, we got more encouraging news with the release of the Nation's state-by-state Report Card. Minority students are leading the way with some of the biggest gains. Scores for American Indian and Alaska Native students increased in math at every level over the last two years. And we're also seeing an upward trend in reading.

These results are big news because we're not talking about just any old test. The Nation's Report Card is the gold standard of assessment. It's the yardstick that helps us see how well we're serving our children and where we have to improve. I like to say, "What gets measured gets done."

Of course, we're not holding class at the U.S. Department of Education. We all know the hard work of educating children happens in real classrooms with real teachers. It happens in local schools in your communities.

I know every community and every tribe has its own needs and no two students are alike. That's why No Child Left Behind gives you the power to make decisions and do what works best for children in your communities.

At the federal level, we're focused on supporting your efforts and looking out for the most disadvantaged students. Since taking office, President Bush has increased federal funding for education to record levels—around $56 billion a year. And support for our neediest students has increased by almost 50 percent.

No Child Left Behind is a partnership that requires us all to work together to help these children. It's an agreement that says if you take federal dollars for education, you must accept responsibility for increasing achievement for all students.

I take that partnership seriously. When I was confirmed by the U.S. Senate in January, I promised to work with leaders like you to implement this law in a sensible and workable way for all students, including American Indians. That means we must listen to you and work together on a government-to-government basis.

That's why President Bush's executive order created an interagency working group to consult with the members of the President's National Advisory Council on Indian Education. I want to thank Cynthia Lindquist-Mala and the other members of the National Advisory Council here today.

This April, my Office of Indian Education hosted a national conference with more than 600 experts and leaders from the federal, state, local, and tribal levels. I'm pleased to announce that we'll be releasing the conference's recommendations soon as part of the Report of the National Conference on Indian Education.

The report will focus on how we can close the achievement gap, improve professional development for teachers, promote research-based teaching methods, and uphold tribal traditions and culture. And most importantly, it will outline a strategy for improving coordination and communication at all levels and between our governments.

As you know, we still have much work to do together. Our nation's education report card has shown no progress for high school students in 30 years. We've already seen what a difference high standards and accountability have made for our younger students, and now we must extend those same principles to our high schools. We must help more students graduate ready for college. Right now, only 12 percent of American Indians have a college diploma, compared to around a third of all Americans. That's unacceptable.

At the same time, 80 percent of the fastest-growing jobs require some postsecondary education. And on average, college graduates earn almost twice as much as workers with just a high school diploma. In other words, a college education is more important than ever.

We need more American Indian doctors. We need more American Indian lawyers. We need more American Indian Ph.D. students. And most importantly, we need more American Indian teachers. Our American Indian Teacher Corps initiative has helped inspire around 1,000 American Indian college students to answer this call and to work in schools with large numbers of Indian students. Teachers set a powerful example for children. And they become leaders in their communities. Before Tex Hall was your president, he was the North Dakota Educator of the Year. He worked as a teacher, as a principal, and as a school superintendent. He understands the value of a quality education, and he knows what a difference a good teacher can make in a child's life.

Our children need good role models to stay in school and avoid risky behavior. In April, Mrs. Bush met with tribal leaders in Phoenix to discuss how we can help children beat the odds and stay on the path to success. Children in your communities benefit from strong intergenerational ties with parents, grandparents, and other elders. But too many children around the country are missing that sense of identity in their lives. Mrs. Bush has become a powerful voice for helping these children as part of her Helping America's Youth Initiative. We must work to foster a sense of community and belonging in all our children.

We saw the strength of the American Indian community in the wake of the terrible hurricanes this fall. I want to thank the National Congress of American Indians and all of you for your outpouring of support and generosity on behalf of the hurricane victims. In the midst of all this loss and destruction, we've been heartened by stories of courage and generosity. The response by Indian Country has been overwhelming. And as a mom, I've been touched by the way schools all across America have reached out to welcome the hundreds of thousands of displaced students. President Bush and I are committed to ensuring all these displaced students, including American Indian students, still receive the quality education they deserve.

Education at its best helps children understand who they are and gives them the chance to realize their potential. It helps children take control over their lives and honor their culture at the same time.

And as U.S. secretary of education, I've been given a special view of the resiliency and beauty of American Indian culture. My office in Washington, D.C., looks out on the new National Museum of the American Indian. And every day, I watch as thousands of students parade through its doors to learn about your great heritage and your vibrant culture. The museum is a classroom for all our children. And at the center of our National Mall, it's also a reminder of the special relationship between our sovereign governments.

I'm looking forward to continuing that relationship with you as we work together, as partners, on a common mission to leave no child behind. It's been an honor to speak to you today.

Thank you.

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