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U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings delivered remarks on No Child Left Behind and the importance of closing the achievement gap in the U.S. at the All Stars Helping Kids 2nd Annual Sports, Business and Philanthropy luncheon today at the Sports Museum of America in New York City.

All Stars Helping Kids identifies and contributes to charities that promote a safe, healthy and rigorous learning environment for disadvantaged children in low-income communities. In 2008, the organization distributed $1.2 million to nonprofits supporting these causes in the San Francisco Bay Area, Dallas and New York, including KIPP Academy of Opportunity, East Dallas Community Schools and Educational First Steps, among others. Athletes, corporations and individuals are involved in the work of All Stars Helping Kids.

Secretary Spellings remarks, as prepared, follow:

Thank you, Andy Adler for introducing me.

I also want to thank Marlon Evans and Anika Dill of All Stars Helping Kids for the warm welcome. And of course, thanks to Super Bowl Champion Ronnie Lott for hosting us and for all that he's done for education.

Having met the Governor of California, I can tell you that Ronnie is just like Gov. Schwarzenegger—but without the special effects.

It's been said that Ronnie is so tough that instead of doing pushups, he pushes the ground down. Just like Chuck Norris.

Although apparently there's no truth to the rumor that the 49ers are thinking about benching all 11 defensive starters... and bringing Ronnie back to replace them all. I'm glad—because our students can't do without him.

Ronnie, you've been rightly called, quote, "one of the most successful athletes at making the transition to business." On behalf of families across our nation, thank you for bringing your star power and smart business sense to the field of education.

You've said many times that our society is "starving for people to step up and make a difference." And today, you're setting an example of how to do just that.

With All Stars Helping Kids, Ronnie has done a great job of uniting people from different worlds—athletes, CEOs, educators, investors. Today he's bridging an even greater divide—he rivalry between USC and Notre Dame! We all know that before Ronnie played for the 49ers, the Raiders, and the Jets, he was one of the most successful college athletes in USC history. I want to congratulate him for partnering with New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck—despite the fact that Justin played for the Fighting Irish in college! In all seriousness, you both deserve a lot of credit for all you do to help students succeed.

We actually have at least 3 Super Bowl champions here with us: Ronnie, Justin, and former New York Giant George Martin.

As many of you know, last summer George completed a 9-month walk across the country on behalf of rescue workers who were injured on 9-11. He lost 40 pounds and went through 24 pairs of shoes. Most importantly, he raised awareness for a critically important cause. So I'm thrilled that he's being honored today.

It's a pleasure to see so many all-star athletes working together for the greater good. After all, nobody understands the importance of teamwork better than they do. That's all the more important in these turbulent times. So I'm glad that later on you'll be talking about how to invest wisely and creatively in this difficult economy.

All of us know that when money is scarce, we need to be smart and strategic about how we spend limited resources. This organization sets a great example of how to do that. All Stars Helping Kids earns a 4-star rating for financial health and sustainability from Charity Navigator. That's the highest rating they award! By inviting athletes and other investors to pool resources, Ronnie saves them from having to reinvent the wheel. That reduces overhead, and channels funds more efficiently and effectively to better serve students. As one investor put it, the "multiplier effect of All Stars... [means] we get a much greater return from our ... dollars."

What I want to talk about today is how to multiply that effect even further. One way to do that is through the same business-savvy approach that makes All Stars so successful. You make sure resources are yielding results. And to prove it, you measure.

Fortunately, sports fans love statistics. Many of us know that in the 83-season rivalry between Notre Dame and USC, the Irish lead the all-time series 42-32-5. But since 1967, the Trojans lead 21-17-3.

We also know that in 14 seasons in the NFL, Ronnie recorded 63 interceptions. He surpassed the 1,000-tackle mark and had 5 seasons with least 100 tackles each. He was named an All-Pro 8 times, All-NFC 6 times, and All-AFC once. And he earned 4 Super Bowl rings!

There's no end to facts and figures to parse and quantify the achievements of players, teams, and entire leagues.

But in education, thanks to No Child Left Behind, this is the first time in our two centuries as a nation that we're able to have a discussion based on facts and realities, instead of hopes or habits. It's because with NCLB, we measure progress of every child annually in the very gateway subjects of reading and math. So today, we are finally able to tell you how many kids in a given school are reading and doing math at or above grade-level.

This approach is working. Student achievement is rising, and children once left behind are making some of the greatest gains. But we're also exposing flaws in the system. Sadly, half of African American and Hispanic students fail to graduate from high school on time. Math-related jobs are growing at 3 times the rate of other jobs, yet U.S. students rank 25th out of 30 developed nations in math literacy and problem solving. The average minority student in an urban middle school lacks even "basic" math skills as defined by the Nation's Report Card.

Pointing out weaknesses makes some people uncomfortable. And we're hearing lots of reasons why the law's goal of all students on grade level by 2014 can't be achieved.

But you know that winning stems from focusing on what's possible, not what seems impossible. Furthermore, as a parent, I want my daughters on grade level now, not 6 years from now. Why would we think other parents want anything less?

Yet we frequently hear that No Child Left Behind is "punishing" schools, or "narrowing the curriculum" by excluding subjects like art and physical education.

I disagree. For one thing, the law doesn't punish schools; it provides extra help like free tutoring for students who fall behind. For another, there's no good reason why we can't focus on reading and math and still have art, recess and other subjects.

I've seen it for myself. My friend Phil Mickelson uses golf to teach kids geometry and trigonometry.

In Milwaukee, Golda Meir Elementary School has seen dramatic gains in math... while supporting a wildly popular program in tap dancing!

We know that exercise helps kids focus and grow up strong, healthy and confident. Later you'll hear from Stephanie Canada, a physical education teacher in my department who can speak to this from experience.

So many children look to coaches like her, and athletes like you, as role models. When you succeed, they know they can, too. In the same way, NCLB spotlights schools that can serve as models for others.

Take the KIPP schools, which are supported by All Stars Helping Kids. Richard Barth of the KIPP Foundation is here with us today. His schools enroll some of our most vulnerable children, many of whom start off years behind their peers. And KIPP sends nearly 100% of students to college!

The future of our democracy and our economy depends on helping students across our country achieve the same success.

To me, it comes down to a matter of how much we believe in our kids. For example, if they're having a tough time at home, or if they start off far behind, do we really think that means they're doomed to fail?

I know you disagree. You know that if we have faith in our kids, and if we support them and their teachers, there's no limit to what we can achieve. Ronnie credits his parents and his high school coach for believing in him and inspiring him to succeed. I know Justin does too—I understand he also looked up to He-Man, and used to run around his house as a child yelling "I have the power!"

The truth is, you do have the power, Justin. We all do. I'm on my way out of office, but in or out of government, we are all shareholders in our schools. It's up to all of us to decide whether it's unreasonable to expect all kids to be on grade level.

I'll soon release a document called Great Expectations. It will outline how much we've accomplished so far, and how much is left to be done. I hope you'll keep an eye out for it. And I hope you'll join me in calling for continued reform.

When stars like Ronnie and Justin and George have something to say, people listen. Our children are counting on you, and on all of us, to speak up on behalf of their needs.

As Americans, we know with every fiber of our beings that education is the great equalizer. It's the key to opportunity, prosperity and civic engagement. It is our most powerful tool in this country and around the world to address our greatest challenges. The solutions to poverty, hunger, energy dependency and financial instability are rooted in education.

None of us would be sitting in this room if we didn't receive an education. Why shouldn't all kids have the same opportunity?

So let's expect more from our kids, from our community, from our country, from our schools and from ourselves. I can't wait to see what we'll accomplish next.

Thank you. I'd be happy to answer your questions.

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