Good morning. I am delighted to share this time with you. I see before me an amazing brain trust, the makers of technological miracles. Because of you, millions—perhaps billions—of people are wired, online, connected, interfaced, compiling data, sharing ideas, sending documents, watching programs, and downloading—much of this happening at the speed of light. In fact, 48 million homes are now connected to broadband, a 300 percent increase since President Bush took office three years ago.

The 21st century is unlike any other because of you. And because of you, we have more choices, options and possibilities than ever before. This is the time of technology, where progress will be determined not only by our discoveries and inventions, but also by our wisdom and vision. And we will rapidly push forward. The president has just challenged the nation to provide affordable broadband to every school, business and home by 2007. We are all part of an historic technological revolution, historically unique. As a former football coach, George Allen, said, "The future is now."

In my work, I see that technology can be a powerful, remarkable tool for progress.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., understood the power of technology. In his last Sunday sermon, he spoke of the great revolution in technology already under way. He said we have used technology to make the world smaller, to make it a neighborhood. But we haven't yet focused the technology on the ways to make us more compassionate, caring and concerned. He asked that we use technology to make the world more humane, a brotherhood and sisterhood of humankind.

Today, at this moment, we must look at the human potential of the technological revolution. We have the chance to use technology in new and powerful ways. So I want to discuss with you how, together, we can turn the technological revolution into a more powerful tool for education and learning.

Often you hear of a technological or digital divide. In my work, I see an educational divide. There is a well documented, if silent, two-tiered educational system. Some fortunate students receive a world-class education. There are islands of excellence.

But millions of students are mired in mediocrity, denied a quality education. The vast majority of those left behind are African American, Hispanic, special-needs, English learners or low-income. For various reasons, they have been passed on and passed out.

How bad is it? Well, many students do not read at their grade level; some are years behind; some cannot read at all. There are similar problems in mathematics. For example, by the time they reach 12th grade, only one in six blacks and one in five Hispanics can read at grade level. Math scores are even worse: only 3 percent of blacks and 4 percent of Hispanics are testing at the proficient level. It is an outrage. We are witnessing an emerging de facto educational apartheid. This is no exaggeration of the facts. Millions of children have been left behind. Millions! Again, we know exactly who these children are: our most vulnerable. This educational divide is cruel, vicious, demeaning, disrespectful and degrading. It is intolerable! We have a moral imperative to act.

I give President Bush much credit for seeing this problem and willingly making it an issue in the last national election. He said that, if elected, he would institute change, and he did. Within four days of assuming office, he initiated a blueprint that became the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. It was passed with wide bipartisan support.

This law introduces accountability, testing and new ways to address the achievement gap. It guarantees every child a highly qualified teacher in core academic subjects. Every child will receive a quality education, and that includes educational technology. The law requires that every student should be technology-literate by the time they finish 8th grade.

No Child Left Behind is a powerful, sweeping law. It is the logical step after Brown v. Board of Education.

The law's success will depend on a number of factors, including harnessing technology to help better educate our students. Success requires crafting a powerful partnership among government, educators, parents, clergy, non-profits, philanthropic foundations, the communications industry and the high-tech community. All of us have a role to play. Together, we can transform American education, making it the best in the world for all of our students. Frankly, we are only limited by our will and imagination. We can use information technology more effectively. There are literally countless ways that information management can be used: to identify trends in student achievement, to identify teacher strengths and weaknesses, to provide an up-to-the-moment report for parents on their child's progress, and to better target resources. We can also use technology for better communication and to cross borders. Recently, I participated in a class in the District of Columbia that was linked to students in South Africa, Egypt and Mexico. The students learned about geography, culture and history firsthand through interaction via video conferencing.

With these possibilities in mind, I have initiated technological priorities in my Department. One is to improve student data management systems. This is needed under No Child Left Behind, so we are working with states to improve accountability through data.

The second is to improve online assessments. We are looking into the possibility of online testing of students. This will allow for quick assessment of their needs and a rapid response for informing and personalizing instruction.

The third is to enhance online learning opportunities. There are so many possibilities for distance learning. We will be assessing the quality of different approaches. We will also work to integrate distance learning opportunities into every school for students and teachers, including online professional development.

No Child Left Behind creates further opportunities. Under the law, the Education Technology State Grants Program has provided $2.1 billion to states over the last three years to improve student achievement and training and professional development. President Bush has requested nearly $700 million more for this program in his 2005 budget.

Thank you for your support of the National Education Technology Plan, as evidenced by the advertisement you put in Education Week

And I am pleased that we have developed the Partnership for the 21st Century Skills, a public-private partnership to help develop technological literacy.

The Partnership has brought together educators, administrators, parents, business and community leaders, and others to build a consensus on the definition of 21st-century skills.

We are also seeing some important publications from the Partnership. They are working to create a practical guide for outlining the skills necessary for a student's success in the 21st century. This summer, the Partnership will be releasing a document in support of the 8th-grade technology literacy requirement in No Child Left Behind.

We must do all of this, and more. This country has the potential to unite all students and teachers in a vast, powerful technological network. We can make exponential gains in education with your help, quickly closing the achievement gap through persistent efforts.

So many years ago, Dr. King spoke of the urgency of our need. He said from his pulpit, "Somewhere we must come to see that human progress never rolls in on the wheels of inevitability. It comes through the tireless efforts and the persistent work of dedicated individuals. ... Without this hard work, time itself becomes an ally of the primitive forces of social stagnation. So we must help time and realize that the time is always ripe to do right."

The time is ripe for your efforts. This nation needs your help, your wisdom, your experience and your abilities. Together, we can make sure every child receives a quality education—every single one.

Thank you.