Thank you, Congresswoman Wilson, for that kind introduction. You're fortunate to have Congresswoman Wilson representing you in Washington. She's a mother like me, and she's made a real commitment to making sure you all get a quality education.

That's why we're here today to celebrate back-to-school. But our thoughts and prayers are with the families around the Gulf Coast who suffered the worst of Hurricane Katrina. Our hearts go out to the children who may be unable to go back to their own schools for weeks or even months. This storm has destroyed entire communities and left families with nothing.

But in the face of this tragedy, we've seen courage. We've admired how people have rallied around one another and have started to piece their lives back together. Today in Washington, President Bush is meeting with a hurricane response task force. We're committed to doing everything we can to help.

As we watch the courage of the people on the Gulf Coast, we also think about our brave troops who are defending our freedom. I know a number of you have family members serving in our armed forces. I also know their service isn't just a commitment by them. It's a commitment by you as well. And we're all grateful to you and them.

One way you can thank our troops is by sending them e-mails. They love hearing from students like you. You can send an e-mail by visiting "America supports you dot mil" [www.americasupportsyou.mil]. I know many of you have become pen pals with the submariners of the USS Albuquerque. That's a special relationship that I hope you'll keep up. Our troops are fighting for our freedom and our way of life, and your thoughts and prayers mean the world to them.

It's good to see your State Secretary of Education Veronica Garcia here. And let me give a special thanks to Principal Kaufman for inviting me to Chaparral Elementary School to celebrate back-to-school.

We are seeing a lot of exciting change happening here at Chaparral and all across the country. Teachers are setting higher expectations. And you all are rising to the challenge, just as you always do.

A few minutes ago, I heard Mrs. Keeling's third-graders recite their daily chant. I'm going to give it a shot:

"All children will be reading on the third-grade reading level or higher.
All children will become Mad Math Minute Super Stars.
Our parents and Mrs. Keeling will help us reach these goals."

And last year, every one of Mrs. Keeling's students met those goals. It's proof that students rise to the challenge of higher expectations. We knew you would. And this year, Chaparral Elementary met all of its goals for Adequate Yearly Progress for all groups of students. That's your school report card. And you should be proud. Way to go!

We know all children can learn. And when we passed the No Child Left Behind Act four years ago, we made a commitment to do something that has never been done before. For the first time ever, we are holding ourselves accountable for educating every child. That means all children, no matter their race or income level or zip code.

Education in this country is not just another political issue. Education is a value that we hold close to our hearts. It's what we all want for you. It's the key to the American dream. And that dream should be available to all families-regardless of how long they have lived in this country or what language they speak.

That's why I'm proud to announce the release of our new Tool Kit for Hispanic Families. The tool kit is a collection of materials to help Hispanic families give their children the best education possible and take full advantage of No Child Left Behind.

One in five children under 18 is now of Hispanic origin, and we must work together to ensure all these children stay in school and achieve their full potential. I'm committed to making sure they all do.

This tool kit will provide Hispanic families with a guide for taking their children from pre-school to college. We simply must do more to help Hispanic students stay in school. Unfortunately, the dropout rate for Hispanic 16-24-year-olds is almost four times higher than the rate for white students. This is simply unacceptable in our country. And we must work together to change it.

I want to thank Adam Chavarria for being here. He's the director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans. In June, Adam and I met with Hispanic leaders in Washington to see how we could do a better job reaching out to the Hispanic community.

We want to make sure all Hispanic families know about the help available to them under No Child Left Behind. We want them to know that students can qualify for free tutoring when schools fall short of their responsibilities. We want them to know that families can ask schools to translate information free of charge. We want families to know how they can help their children with reading and homework. In other words, we want Hispanic families to know how they can get more information and get more involved.

That's why we created this tool kit. It gives families the information they need to help their children get ahead in school and in life. And we want to make sure Hispanic families get this information in a language they can understand, so we're making the tool kit available in both English and Spanish.

My friends on stage today represent Hispanic organizations across the country. They came out here today because they believe education is the key to the American dream. And they want all of you to live that dream. That's why they're partnering with us to help distribute this new tool kit to Hispanic families across the country.

Let me give a special thanks to John Moya, the Reverend William Chignoli, Mary Capello, Guarione Diaz, Sharon Darling, and Dr. Hector Garza. It's also great to see Christopher Baca and Karen Sanchez Griego today. Their organizations are doing good work here in New Mexico. They all understand that if we want every child to live the American dream, we must set high standards.

We've seen what happens when we raise the bar. In July, we got the results of our nation's latest education report card. It shows how students have fared in reading and math over the last three decades. And the results are impressive:

• Nationally, 9- and 13-year-olds' math scores reached all-time highs. Hispanic 9-year-olds alone saw their scores rise by 17 points over just the last five years. For those of you unfamiliar with the Nation's Report Card, a 17-point increase is enormous.
  
  
• Reading scores for nine-year-olds increased more over the last five years than in all the years between 1971 and 1999 combined! Hispanic scores alone increased by 12 points!
  
  
• And out here in the Western region of the country, reading scores for nine-year-olds have increased by nine points since just 1999. By comparison, those same scores only increased by one point between 1971 and 1999.

Back in Texas, we like to say, "In God we trust-all others bring data." And with this data, we can see we're moving in the right direction. More children are learning. Scores are rising. And the achievement gap is closing. In other words, No Child Left Behind is working.

We know every child can achieve high standards. That's why we're asking states to annually assess all students in grades 3-8 to make sure they do. And we're breaking down the results by student group, so we can be sure all students-including students new to the English language-are getting ahead.

This assessment data gives teachers and principals a valuable tool. Just look at what's happened here at Chaparral Elementary. As you know in 2004, Chaparral didn't make Adequate Yearly Progress. Mr. Kaufman and his teachers knew students here could do better. They studied the assessment data. And they focused on areas where students needed the most help. And we can all see the results.

This school is setting an example for schools across the country. There's still more work to do. But I'm confident that you're on the right path. That's because teachers here understand that what gets measured gets done.

And if you're a parent like me, that's good news because you want to make sure your children are making progress each and every year. That's why I like to say back-to-school isn't just for students and teachers. It's for parents too. And parents here at Chaparral have a lot of reasons to feel good as they send their children back to school this year.

I want parents all over the country to have that same peace of mind. That's why we're providing families with more information than ever before. That's why we're raising the bar for our schools. That's why we're holding ourselves to a higher standard. And that's why I'm here to say today, "Keep up the good work."

Thanks again for inviting me today. And good luck this year.

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