I want to talk a little bit today about the revolution in American education. This President has asked, plainly, that we leave no child behind. Neither he, nor I, nor thousands of others are satisfied with a society that graduates citizens who cannot read, write or do basic math. We are not satisfied to turn out young men and women unprepared to enter fine institutions of higher learning such as this—unprepared to compete in the global economy—unprepared, really, for life itself.

President Bush sees education as the new civil right. He is in good company. A century ago, educator W.E.B. Du Bois named education one of the "full manhood rights" of "free-born Americans," on a par with the right to vote. "Either the United States will destroy ignorance," he said, "or ignorance will destroy the United States."

In his time, America had a two-tiered educational system: one for white Americans and one for black Americans. Today we still have a two-tiered system: one of high standards and expectations; another of low expectations. Fifty years after Brown v. Board of Education opened the schoolhouse door, not everyone is treated as equals once they sit down at their desk. This fact has got to change.

Our revolution in education will take an evolution in awareness and thought. We can do it! But all of us—teachers, principals, parents, colleges, business and community leaders—must work together, and agree to accept nothing less than the best for our kids.

I fervently believe that every child can learn. But first, every child must see that potential in him—or herself. And so must every teacher, administrator and, of course, parent.

I was proud to stand with the President two-and-a-half years ago as he signed the No Child Left Behind Act into law.

No Child Left Behind recognizes the inborn potential in every child. It seeks to level the playing field for everyone, regardless of skin color, spoken accent or street address.

Under the law, states must show how their students will reach proficiency—grade level or better—in reading, writing and mathematics. In exchange they're granted unprecedented flexibility to get the job done. I am proud to say that it's been one year since all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, submitted their accountability plans and had them approved. Now those plans are in action.

Under the law, "Adequate Yearly Progress" must be measured and maintained for all students and—here's the key—all categories and subgroups of students as well. No more having to play "Where's Waldo," trying to spot students at risk hidden among the entire student body. For the first time, all schools are accountable because all students are visible.

I'll give you an example: Langley High School in Virginia, a better than average public school, saw one of its subgroups—special education students—miss its AYP target. That meant the entire school was put on notice—it was in need of improvement. "We were upset," said its principal to columnist William Raspberry. He went on: "But I have to say that the next year, we did go out and remediate the heck out of those kids. The teachers took it personally.... And now we don't have any underperforming subgroups."

That's exactly the kind of attitude we want to foster—in every school in America!

We cannot leave teachers behind, either. Our goal is for all teachers of core academic subjects to be highly qualified. That means a bachelor's degree, certification by the state and demonstration of subject-matter competency for each subject taught. We're augmenting that with a "Teacher-to-Teacher" initiative with roundtables, workshops, and the first ever Research-to-Practice Summit.

Under NCLB, schools "in need of improvement" must spend at least 10 percent of their Title I funds to assist teachers through professional development or college coursework. Districts can also use Title II "Improving Teacher Quality State Grants" to fill in the gaps through alternative certification, merit pay or recruiting incentives.

Finally, we've launched two new programs, Reading First and Early Reading First, that are instructing tens of thousands of teachers in scientifically sound, proven teaching methods. No more fads.

Our goals are ambitious: all teachers highly qualified by the end of the 2005-06 school year, and all children proficient by 2014. But are they unrealistic? I don't believe so. This is a nation that went from the Wright Brothers to Neil Armstrong in less than one lifetime. Seeing our children reach grade level in ten years is not asking too much.

No Child Left Behind, I would add, is not a punitive law, as some in the media have described it. The remedies for schools that do not meet their goals is not punishment but help: help for both schools and the parents. Tutoring, after-school and summer school programs, and transfer to another public school are options that must be provided if the school continues to lag behind. The need is there; in its first year, more than 160,000 students took advantage of these choices.

This illustrates another revolutionary aspect of the law. There is no shortage of people willing to help. Community groups, business leaders, for-profit providers, community colleges and four-year universities—all must be allowed to be part of the solution.

No Child Left Behind is spawning more choices for more students. Businesses are joining with educators to form charter schools. Some states are starting "charter colleges" to train teachers in hard-to-fill subjects. And Prairie View A&M is ready to help, as well.

"Prairie View Produces Productive People." That's not just a motto, that's a commitment. And it's needed now more than ever. Born during segregation, you have become a truly special university, dedicated to students of diverse backgrounds and life experiences. As Dr. Wright says, your "most significant...mission" is to "educate the historically underserved."

President Bush has matched your commitment with his own. As you know, the president signed an executive order to strengthen Historically Black Colleges and Universities, increasing their opportunities to grow and participate in federal programs.

In addition, in his latest budget, the President set federal spending at $418.8 million for Aid for Institutional Development Programs, an increase of almost $19 million over the previous year. This funding goes to institutions with high proportions of minority students, including HBCUs and Historically Black Graduate Institutions. The President is keeping his promise to increase such aid by 30 percent during his tenure.

We've also increased funding for Hispanic-Serving Institutions by 40 percent. And I know Prairie View is eager to do more on that front.

A college tuition is, over the long-term, one of the most cost-effective purchases a person can make. And yet the costs can seem out of reach for families of modest means.

In the 1990s, tuition and fees nationwide rose faster than the value of grants and scholarships. And the share of full-time students who borrowed to pay for college expenses rose from nearly one-third to nearly one-half.

President Bush appreciates this. For 2005, he has proposed more than $73 billion in available student aid, a six percent increase over 2004 levels. He has also proposed an $856 million increase in Pell Grants, to help more than 5.3 million low- and middle-income students. That would add up to $12.9 billion total, a 36 percent increase since 2000.

Finally, I would note that interest rates on federal student loans have fallen to 3.37 percent—the lowest point in nearly 35 years. Just three years ago it was touching six percent. That adds up to thousands of dollars in savings.

Let me tell you something else the President has done to help "produce productive people." It's called the Jobs for the 21st Century Initiative.

This new program includes Enhanced Pell Grants to reward students who take rigorous high school coursework. We would also expand Advanced Placement classes [by $28 million] for low-income students, so they can get back on the college track. Paul Ruiz of the non-partisan Education Trust says, "A robust curriculum is the single greatest predictor of college success." And, as you well know, it also cuts down on the need for expensive remedial classes.

I've talked a lot about money. But we don't measure achievement by dollars spent. We measure it by children taught. And so do you.

We must do a better job of preparing our kids for the knowledge-based opportunities of the 21st Century. W.E.B. Du Bois anticipated this need a century ago, saying "We want our children trained as intelligent human beings should be...[not] simply for the use of other people. They have a right to know, to think, to aspire."

Unfortunately, only two-thirds of our ninth graders go on to college. A study last year by the Manhattan Institute found that only one-third of all students leave high school qualified to attend a four-year college. The numbers are worse for African-American and Hispanic students. And, in a survey of science and math knowledge covering 21 industrialized nations, our 12th-graders outperformed only Cyprus and South Africa. What a disgrace!

Ladies and gentlemen, computers don't run themselves. They take brainpower. We're asking Congress to invest more than $45 million to recruit and train engineers, scientists and others to become teachers in our public schools. But it's just as important to ensure that our students aspire to become engineers and scientists themselves.

The good news is, No Child Left Behind is helping to begin to close the achievement gap in urban areas. Early studies have shown it. Test scores in math are beginning to climb, with low-income students making the greatest progress. And every day seems to bring good news on test scores from states as diverse as Wisconsin, Arkansas, Maryland, Ohio, Georgia and, yes, Texas.

Last week I visited the National Charter Schools Conference to celebrate our success stories and help spread them like seeds across the country. One of those is from the Knowledge Is Power Program, or KIPP Academy, in Houston.

KIPP Academy's student population is economically disadvantaged: 86 percent receive subsidized or free meals. But thanks to a strongly enforced credo—"There are no shortcuts. Success is built through desire, discipline and dedication"—85 percent go on to college.

Ladies and gentlemen, we know what works. And we know that public education is working for many, many young Americans. Knowing that, it would be unconscionable to deny what works to so many others.

We face an achievement gap. But it's one we can bridge with a little more achievement of our own. It's time to bring everyone to the same table—those who shape society, and those who are shaped by society—to find common cause on these critical issues. We owe it not only to the generations coming after us, but to those who came before us, like Du Bois, Frederick Douglass and Linda Brown—the men and women who refused to buckle under to racists—who blazed a path of freedom for all of us—and who insisted that the American Dream is not limited by color or creed. A revolutionary idea indeed!

The American Dream is about ensuring that our children have greater opportunities than we had. It's wonderful to know that it's within our power to make that Dream come true. I thank you for doing more than your share to make it happen.

Thank you.

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