Thank you Gov. Huckabee for your warm welcome. It's great to see you and all of the policy wonks and education officials in this room. Thanks to ECS (Education Commission of the States) President Dr. Piedad Robertson, and ECS Vice Chairman and Delaware State Senator David Sokola, and everybody at ECS for inviting me to join you today. I want to say hello to Sandy Garrett, the Oklahoma Schools superintendent, Dr. Ken James, the Arkansas chief state school officer, and Dr. Trent Blankenship, whom I know from Wyoming, but I hear he's headed to Alaska. And Michael Nettles and Mari Pearlman from ETS (Educational Testing Service). And Dr. Clayton Christensen from Harvard Business School. And I want to thank Gov. Owens for his support this morning and his ongoing support for No Child Left Behind.

I'm happy to be here with so many people who care so much about America's children and their futures. And I'm thrilled to be here with such good news. I just saved a ton of money on my car insurance.

Here's what I'm really here to say. A few years ago, our nation did something that no other country has ever done—and certainly no place as diverse economically, racially, and socially as our country.

We committed to giving every child a quality education. We said we would close the achievement gap within a decade. And we said we would look ourselves in the mirror and hold ourselves accountable for doing that.

Reform is hard work. We said it. We meant it. We did it. And guess what? It's working! Today I have evidence that we're on the right track. Here it is.

A few hours ago in Washington, the 2004 National Assessment of Educational Progress long-term trend data were released. In other words, the grades from our Nation's Report Card are in, and the results are encouraging. As we say in Texas, "Good on us. Good on America."

The Long-Term Report Card lets parents, educators, and policymakers check on the quality of America's schools. Its standards and content are set by a bipartisan group. This group includes governors, legislators, school officials, educators, business people—and even some ordinary folks, like parents! The Report Card's results are above reproach.

Obviously this is not just any old test. Neither are the state report cards that will come out this fall. These are some of our best tools to measure learning and guide policy in states and across the country. This information helps policymakers figure out what to do.

As a mom and as a policymaker, I read report cards with a lot of anticipation. I bet many of you do, too. And I firmly believe that everyone in this room deserves credit for the great news you are about to hear.

Let's take a look back at more than three decades of Long-Term Report Card scores to get a sense of where we've been. Progress before 1999 was incremental, with a general pattern of student achievement changing a couple of points at a time.

• The first overall score for nine-year-old reading was 208. That was 1971.
• Four years later in 1975, it went up to 210.
• And five years after that, it was 215.
• Then in 1984, it actually went down to 211, then up to 212, then down to 209 in 1990. You get the picture.
• In other words, from 1971 to 1999, nine-year-old reading scores gained only four points overall.
• Then suddenly in the last five years, boom! The score jumped an unprecedented seven points to 219, by far the highest score ever.

Could it be a coincidence that progress accelerated so dramatically between 1999 and 2004? I don't think so.

And more than half of the progress in reading in younger children seen in the Report Card's 30-year history was made in the last five years. A coincidence? I don't think so.

What happened since then? America made a commitment to leave no child behind. Our commitment is helping students of every race from every background, and especially our youngest.

We're seeing such great progress in the early grades because that's where we're investing our resources with No Child Left Behind. Resources plus reform equals results.

Today's Report Card shows what happens when we pledge to educate every single child. When we refuse to believe that any kid is "unteachable." When we will settle for nothing less than achievement for everybody.

Those once-struggling young people are learning, and they're accelerating at a faster pace than ever before. They're catching up to their peers. Here are more facts from today's Report Card:

• America's nine-year-olds are posting the best scores in reading and math in the history of this report. That's over 30 years: reading testing started in 1971, and math testing started in 1973.
• Looking at 13-year-olds, over the last five years, white, Hispanic, and African-American children have made significant gains in math.
  • Scores for whites went up five points since 1999.
  • Scores for Hispanics went up six points since 1999.
  • Scores for African-Americans went up 11 points since 1999.
• Together, these 13-year-olds earned the highest math scores the test has ever recorded.
• And here's one I know is especially close to the hearts of President and Mrs. Bush: More nine-year-olds and 13-year-olds are reading more than 20 pages a day. Now that's great news! And I'm sure it's closely related to the reading gains. When you work harder, you get better results.

Achievement is rising. And the gap is closing. Nine-year-old minority students have done especially well in the last five years.

• The achievement gap between white and African-American nine-year-old students in reading is the smallest it has ever been.
• Since 1999, reading scores for African-American nine-year olds went up 14 points to reach an all-time high. I don't have to tell those of you in this room that 14 points is a big deal!
• Math scores for African-American nine-year olds and 13-year olds also reached an all-time high, up an impressive 13 points and 11 points, respectively, since 1999.
• These gains were made as our country's population became increasingly diverse. As our schools have enrolled more and more minority students, these students have scored increasingly better in both reading and math.

Behind these statistics are hundreds of thousands of real children in real schools.

They're from every background. They're white and African-American and Hispanic and Asian. They're growing up in cities, in suburbs, and on farms. Some of their parents make a lot of money, and others earn much less.

Their stories are a tribute to teachers, parents, principals, and school administrators—and of course to you, the policymakers. You invested time and resources, and you fought for a quality education for all. We owe you a big thank you.

Students all across America are being helped—and their lives are being changed—by thousands of hard-working and devoted teachers. We must acknowledge the dedication these teachers have shown in making sure that no child is left behind. Anything less dishonors their role in today's outstanding news.

Their classrooms are "where the rubber meets the road." These teachers are thinking creatively and working hard to help the children who need it most. And they now have access to highly effective, research-based tools that are raising student achievement.

Our teachers' work has gotten more challenging as our schools have welcomed more and more young people who are learning English in the classroom. It is a credit to thousands upon thousands of teachers that as the work has gotten harder, the results have gotten better.

And to you and all the governors and state chiefs, and superintendents and administrators and parents who believe, as I do, that all children can learn.

A few others also deserve some credit today, and you may have heard their names before. When they passed No Child Left Behind three years ago, members of Congress from both sides of the aisle took a big step toward improving the quality of life for our next generation. Congressmen John Boehner and George Miller, and Senators Ted Kennedy and Judd Gregg, and now Mike Enzi, helped lead the way. And this continues to be a terrific bipartisan effort.

These members of Congress understood that education is a place where students come first and lives can be changed. It's simply about creating a brighter future for our children and for our country.

Three years ago, we all made a commitment to these students and their parents. And today we have strong signs that No Child Left Behind is working.

The law says schools must shed light on how every group of students is doing in school, including minority children, low-income children, and children with disabilities. You started the reform movement at the state level. Now we are building on it on a national level.

Before No Child Left Behind, the results from the Nation's Report Card didn't connect to anything. There was little guidance or accountability for states and schools that didn't perform.

This law brings accountability into our classrooms. It sets big goals for all students while respecting local control of schools.

It's about results over process. And it gives parents more power by giving them more information and more options to help their children learn.

Before we passed this law, students were too often shuffled from grade to grade without knowing how to read or do math. It's right and righteous that the law focused on those two key areas. And today the results are in. Our commitment is paying off.

To close, let me tell you that I'm really pleased with today's results—but I'm not satisfied. I hear from teachers and other folks all over the country that our high school students still need help, and the data prove them right.

The latest Long-Term Report Card shows where we have room for improvement. For example, our high school students didn't show anywhere near the progress made in elementary and middle schools. In fact, Report Card grades for high school students have barely changed in the last 30 years. We haven't demanded success for older children as we have for younger ones.

So high school students are getting left behind.

As I have been saying, and teachers and principals and governors and business leaders have been saying... And as President Bush told the Indiana Black Expo this morning: We clearly must take high standards and accountability into our high schools.

We must support older students with the same can-do attitude that helped their younger brothers and sisters. With research-based strategies and policies, we can help older children learn more too. They deserve the same promise of achievement we made three years ago for the younger students.

So, today's Report Card brings great news. It's a terrific snapshot of America's overall progress. I can't wait to see the state results coming out this fall, and I'm sure you all can't either. These results will show test scores for the nation, for each state, and even some urban school districts. So for example, if a state says that all its students are doing well but the data puts them at the bottom of the Report Card rankings, state officials and local parents can—and should and I'm confident will—act on that.

Changing the direction of America's schools is kind of like turning the Queen Mary. It doesn't exactly turn on a dime, but once you get it pointed in the right direction it really picks up steam. All of us together have a place at the wheel on our own Queen Mary. And we are clearly underway.

Thanks you for your hospitality and warm welcome today and thank you for all you do to leave no child left behind.

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