Following are the prepared remarks by U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige to a luncheon of educators attending Hispanic Engineering, Science and Technology Week (HESTEC) 2003 on Monday at the University of Texas-Pan American in Edinburg, Texas.

Thank you. Several years ago, British Prime Minister Tony Blair outlined his agenda for government. He said, "I have three priorities: education, education, education."

He sounds like my kind of guy.

I think we can all agree with him, but I would also add a fourth: more education.

We meet today dedicated to providing the best possible education for every child. Every child can learn. And, in our country, we must make every effort to reach every child. No one can be left behind. Novelist Carlos Fuentes writes, "When we exclude, we betray ourselves. When we include, we find ourselves." And today we work to include every child because, in the eyes of each child, we find ourselves and we see our future.

At the dawn of the 21st century, our country is uniquely the product of two powerful forces: our love of freedom and our desire for knowledge. With God's grace, every good thing in this country flows from these two rivers of human aspiration. They become one mighty torrent: education is freedom. Our economic wealth, our national security, our rich culture, and our immense technological abilities are the product of our educational enterprise. Our educational endeavor will define our future.

President Bush understands the vast importance of quality education. This is a President who has made education a top priority, starting from his first day in office. Now, under the bold reforms of No Child Left Behind, we are strengthening education for all of our students—and we are doing so in substantive ways that will revolutionize our system and help all of our children, especially those from low income or minority backgrounds.

And we are taking specific steps to strengthen the teaching of mathematics and science in our schools. We recognize that no education is complete without rigorous coursework and high expectations of all our students in these subjects. And these expectations extend to all students.

Today I will discuss how we can strengthen the educational system for all students in the natural sciences and in mathematics.

One recent study shows just how important mathematics and science education can be to a young student. It compared Hispanic students who opted to take advanced mathematics courses versus those who ended their instruction at the intermediate level. Of the students studied, a full 60 percent of Hispanic students who took an advanced mathematics course went on to enroll in a four-year post-secondary institution. Of those who stopped at the intermediate level, only16 percent went on to a four-year college or university. In other words, those students who continued with mathematics were four times more likely to go on to college than those who stopped taking mathematics.

This study shows a striking and direct link between achievement and mathematics. Students with strong mathematics and science skills have a world of opportunity open to them. The good jobs of the future overwhelmingly require strong quantitative abilities. Today, becoming "highly skilled" is nearly synonymous with being "high tech."

Unfortunately, all too often our students are not excelling in mathematics and science. Recent results from the National Assessment of Educational Progress revealed that:

• Just 17 percent of 12th graders are proficient in mathematics.
• Just 18 percent of 12th graders are proficient in science.

For Hispanic students, the scores are even more alarming:

• Just 4 percent of Hispanic 12th graders are proficient in mathematics.
• Just 7 percent of Hispanic 12th graders are proficient in science

Cervantes once counseled not to "mince the matter." I won't! This is a serious situation. This is a national emergency. If we are to compete ... if we are to continue to lead the world in technological development ... if we are to continue on as a beacon of freedom and hope, then we must educate every one of our kids. If they leave the school system under-educated or uneducated, we have failed them and betrayed a great public trust.

If we are to improve education for all, effective instruction in mathematics and science must be part of the equation. Earlier this year, I announced an initiative to reinvigorate mathematics and science teaching in our schools.

This initiative will do the following:

One—highlight the importance of mathematics and science education and encourage more students to pursue these studies. We are preparing a broad-based public information campaign to get students, parents, teachers, and school leaders more excited about science and mathematics.

Two—Initiate a major campaign to recruit, prepare, train, and retain teachers with strong backgrounds in mathematics and science. This campaign will work with colleges of arts and sciences, colleges of education, teacher training programs, school districts, and states to ensure strong content knowledge in both today's and tomorrow's teachers. It will foster professional development programs proven to boost student achievement.

Three—Develop an academic research base of what boosts student learning in mathematics and science. Teachers need to know what programs and strategies are effective in improving student achievement. Using rigorous research, we will identify the learning processes essential for success in a wide range of students and we will develop effective instructional strategies.

In the United States, such an effort in 1957 was successful. That was the year after the old Soviet Union launched Sputnik. That launch made it clear that we needed to invigorate our mathematics and science program. The results were immediate. Within a generation, the United States had upgraded mathematics and science education, launched satellites, and seen its astronauts orbit the Earth and land on the Moon. It is my hope that we can achieve similar results today

In pursuit of this goal, we recognize that the Hispanic/Latino children face distinct challenges in our schools.

They represent a diverse community—with great variations in socioeconomics, national heritage, educational achievement, and language. And together they are also the fastest growing segment of our school population. Recent census figures show that the Spanish-speaking population rose by 62 percent over the last decade.

Unfortunately, Hispanic students are more likely to drop out of school than any other group. And there is a persistent achievement gap between Hispanic students and many of their white and Asian peers.

There are several reasons for this. Many Hispanic students are learning English for the first time—four million of our students speak Spanish as a first language.

Many of these new immigrants, like immigrants to our country before them, work very hard to support their families, often working long hours or two jobs, which can take away from family time.

And of course, there is the damaging effect of discrimination—both overt racism and what President Bush calls the "soft bigotry of low expectations."

Too often, Hispanic students are being left behind, their needs ignored, their futures diminished.

This is the underlying fundamental basis for our education reforms under the No Child Left Behind Act. When President Bush proposed No Child Left Behind, he did so in the belief that every child can learn.

Today, we are nearly two years into the implementation of the law. And we are making significant progress.

The fact is, No Child Left Behind is working, and it is helping kids in your community.

Under our landmark reforms, it is no longer acceptable if some students are getting a good education, while others are being left behind. It is no longer acceptable for a school system to throw up its hands and say, "well, those students are still learning English, and therefore we don't expect them to do well."

We are taking meaningful steps to improve education for Hispanic Americans:

• No Child Left Behind helps get parents more involved. It provides information about a school's performance in the language spoken in the home. And it gives parents options when schools don't show needed improvement over a period of years—options like transferring their child to another public school or receiving extra tutoring.

• No Child Left Behind empowers states and districts to apply Federal funds towards such goals as teacher quality, English language proficiency, technology, and after-school enrichment. All these goals are critical to improving the achievements of Hispanic students.

• No Child Left Behind simplifies Federal support for English language instruction by combining bilingual and immigrant education grants into one bilingual education program. This new formula program will help states and school districts better instruct children in English and help them meet the same high standards as other students;

• No Child Left Behind requires strong accountability by making states test English language learners in reading and language arts in English after they have attended school in the United States for three consecutive years.

• And No Child Left Behind provides the greatest Federal support for education in the history of our nation. Since taking office, President Bush has called for an increase of $11 billion to help us achieve our goals. Since taking office, he has also increased funding for English language learners by 50 percent.

• If we are to succeed in our mission, it is you, our nation's teachers, who will be the cornerstone of our effort. No Child Left Behind recognizes your important roles and supports your work. Let me cite a few ways:

• President Bush's 2004 budget calls for more than $3.7 billion dollars to support professional development for teachers—an increase of $1.1 billion since he took office. This is money that can be used for training, recruitment, providing increased opportunities for minorities, teacher mentoring, and incentives to retain effective teachers.

• His budget also proposes increased loan forgiveness—from $5,000 all the way to $17,500—to recruit mathematics and science (and special education) teachers into those schools where there is the greatest need. Too many children, especially those in minority communities, are not being taught by teachers with a major in these subjects. This loan forgiveness program should serve as a powerful incentive to bring mathematics and science teachers into these classrooms.

I mentioned Carlos Fuentes earlier. He reminds us that our country is the beneficiary of a great Hispanic culture. Yes we are, especially here in Texas. Hispanic and Latino culture prizes education, literacy, science, architecture, engineering, and mathematics. It also prizes family, service, values, and tolerance. Our country is much stronger, greater, better, and more noble because of Latino culture.

I know this first-hand from my days in Houston. My students and teachers lived and learned in a rich and diverse cultural environment. I saw the strength of that diversity in action, as students learned from each other and teachers utilized the great history of Hispanic culture to better educate.

I know that every investment we make in mathematics and science will reap great rewards. And that investment begins with each one of you. You are the care-takers of the flame of knowledge. You inspire a love of learning. You look into the eyes of a student and see the future.

That future is secure, with your dedication, scholarship, compassion, and continued service.

God bless you, and God bless America.

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