It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Department of Education's Summit on Science. I thank you for joining us as we look to the future during this Excellence in Science, Technology, and Mathematics Education Week.

Edwin Powell Hubble, the great astronomer, captured in a few words the essence of science. He said: "Equipped with his five senses, man explores the universe around him and calls the adventure Science." Indeed, science is a great adventure. It is a voyage that begins early in life. It starts when a young child first learns of the wondrous creatures that wandered the earth long before the age of man. It is an interest sparked when a daughter asks her mother, "Why do fireflies glow at night?"

All children have a natural curiosity about the world around them. As educators, we must fan their desire to learn. We must equip them with the skills they need to understand our world. We must prepare them for a future that we cannot yet predict with any real certainty. And we must give them the skills and knowledge they will need to shape that future. Today, we come together to accomplish these goals.

America, in our nation's relatively brief history, has established itself as the world leader in science and innovation. Our great universities and our free enterprise system set the pace in medicine, engineering, technology, and the natural sciences. Our citizens readily accept the latest scientific breakthroughs, as consumers and users. There is no doubt that our nation's embrace of science has contributed to our nation's greatness.

Our future leadership in science, however, is not assured. While some of our young people receive a world-class education in science—and indeed in all subjects—many others are being left behind.

The danger is especially acute among our minority and low-income students. The most recent scores from NAEP, otherwise known as America's Report Card, reveal that just two in 10 African American 12th-graders score at the "basic" level in science, when the scale is "basic," "proficient" and "advanced." Just three in 10 Hispanic students reach this level. This is unacceptable.

We must help these students succeed, just as we must strengthen science education for all students. International comparisons show that the United States falls in the middle of the pack among industrialized nations on science achievement. We should not be satisfied with the status quo. We should aim to lead the world, not because education should be a competition, but because education is the foundation for future discoveries and breakthroughs in science.

President Bush and bipartisan majorities in Congress have provided the framework to improve education for all students. The No Child Left Behind Act requires us to think about education in new ways. No Child Left Behind ushered in a new era of accountability in our nation's schools. It says loudly and clearly that all children must be held to high standards.

We are now more than two years into No Child Left Behind. In this time, we have witnessed a transformation in our education system. Let me cite a few reasons why I am so optimistic that we are on the right path:

• All 50 states now have accountability plans in place to show how they will help all children learn to read and do math at their grade level. This is a huge improvement from just a few years ago, when only 11 states had created such plans.

• Our children are now being tested regularly in math and reading, and will soon be tested in science. As a result, teachers can better tailor instruction to meet every child's needs. Administrators can make better-informed decisions about how they target resources. And parents can better evaluate their children's progress and the effectiveness of their schools.

• Parents have new options when a child's school has been identified as in need of improvement. They can choose a better performing public school. Or, if they are financially eligible, they can choose extra tutoring for their child at no additional cost.

• President Bush and Congress have invested more federal dollars in education than ever before. Under the President's latest budget, total education spending would increase by 36 percent since he took office, including massive increases for low-income students, teacher training, special education and financial aid for higher education.

As we work to strengthen our schools, we recognize raising achievement in science will require additional knowledge and resources.

The Department of Education recently fielded a poll to learn more about parents' attitudes toward science education. The findings should strengthen our will to improve science instruction. Parents of every race and background recognize the importance of science education. They want to help their children succeed.

This summit kicks off the second phase in our Mathematics and Science Initiative. Our first summit in mathematics a little more than one year ago was a great success. That meeting has led to additional gatherings, where new ground has been broken in our efforts to improve instruction in mathematics.

One of the areas we will address today is the need for better research into what works in science education. This is an area in which some progress has been made, but, for the most part, we're still blindfolded and trying to find our way through a cluttered room. Much more high-quality research is needed to determine what methods, resources and curricula are best for educating students at all grade levels. We will begin to address this need today.

The initiative has also launched a campaign to engage our citizens about the importance of science education. With it, we are reaching out to students, parents, educators, and community, business and government leaders. Our goal is to create a positive climate for science education and to dispel some myths that might prevent talented students from pursuing an education in the sciences.

Additionally, through the Fund for Educational Improvement, the Department of Education has invested in five projects with respected partners to bring technical expertise to math and science instruction.

Tied into these efforts is the President's support for Math and Science Partnerships. These partnerships help strengthen math and science curricula and instruction by involving experts from the sciences, higher education and other leading institutions in the education of our K-12 teachers and students. I am pleased that the President's latest budget calls for a significant funding increase for this important effort as a part of his Jobs for the 21st Century Initiative.

Of course, for these reforms and initiatives to be successful, we must first have effective teachers in our classrooms. Our work to improve our students' math and science skills must begin and end with teachers. I'd like to thank all of the teachers who have traveled to be here with us today. You work incredibly hard for our children. We owe you our respect and support. I would like to give special recognition to the recently named Presidential Awardees for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, who are in our audience today.

No Child Left Behind recognizes the crucial role teachers play.

First, the law requires that all teachers be "highly qualified" by 2006. Unfortunately, many students today learn science from a teacher without the needed expertise to help them succeed. Under the law, all teachers must have a deep knowledge of their subject. I'm happy to report that just yesterday, the Department announced new options to help our schools and teachers meet this crucial goal. This new flexibility recognizes the expertise science teachers bring to the classroom and gives states new options for identifying their science teachers as "highly qualified."

Second, No Child Left Behind provides the resources, flexibility and innovation to help us achieve this goal. In total, the President's latest budget includes more than $5 billion to better train teachers, to recruit new teachers, to provide loan forgiveness to math and science teachers in high-need schools, and to help teachers cover their expenses. There's no reason we need to add science teachers to our nation's imports when we have so many qualified teachers and teacher-candidates here at home.

Third, No Child Left Behind breaks down the old barriers preventing mid-career professionals from taking teaching positions. We know there are many scientists, engineers and computer specialists who would love to lend their expertise in the classroom. By lowering the barriers to entry into the teaching profession, the law is helping our schools attract a new class of bright, dedicated teachers.

Last week, Alan Greenspan spoke powerfully on the urgency of our task. Testifying before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, he noted: "Technological advance is continually altering the shape, nature, and complexity of our economic processes. To effectively manage this ever-increasing complexity, our labor force has had to become more and more technically oriented."

In my many years, I have borne witness to the advance he describes. No area of our lives is untouched by the march of science. Today, we recognize the necessity to act. We must expand educational opportunities to strengthen our economic future. It is my hope that our nation will respond with even more enthusiasm than it did following the 1957 launch of Sputnik. Our response then prepared our nation to put a man on the moon. In many ways, it shaped the world we live in today.

Now, we must prepare a new generation to choose its destiny. We do so knowing that education is emancipation, and science the source of dreams. I look forward to working with everyone here as we upgrade science education and work to give all of America's children the opportunity to achieve whatever they dream.

Thank you, and God bless you.

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