A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

We know that parenting and grandparenting are not only the greatest jobs in the world but also the toughest. Children always seem to be one step ahead of us. I found proof of that in a book called Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. It contains actual writings from children, and here are some of their words of wisdom:

A boy wrote: "Keep your room dirty so your mom will be afraid to come in, and then she won't take your stuff." Another boy wrote: "When your mom's on a diet, don't eat chocolate in front of her." A 13-year-old advised: "Never ask your dad to help you with a math problem-it will turn out to be a three-hour lesson." And an 8-year-old said: "When my parents are talking, I don't interrupt-unless someone is bleeding or something."

The children also had some pretty wise things to say about other topics. A 12-year-old named Mikie, for example, wrote three words that I think we should all remember: "Attitudes are contagious."

Mikie is obviously a keen observer of the national PTA. You have always had a positive, can-do attitude that has proven contagious by inspiring others to work hard to improve education. I'll take your attitude every day of the week over the destructive attitude of those who are constantly criticizing and tearing down our efforts to make our schools better. These are some of the same people who tell us that vouchers are a magic cure-all. But vouchers are divisive and a distraction, and, to put it simply, vouchers are a mistake.

I think Abraham Lincoln said it best when he said, "He has the right to criticize who has the heart to help." So today I say to the nonstop critics of our nation's public schools: If you see something that's wrong, please have the heart to help. But if you don't want to help, please get out of the way and let the PTA and the rest of us work together to improve things.

I can tell you that as a result of the PTA's contributions and the hard work of so many caring Americans, education in our country is improving. We still have a long way to go, but we are beginning to turn the corner. Let me give you some of reasons why.

Reading and math scores are up nationwide. Academic standards are on the rise in every state. We're making great progress toward our goal of putting computers into every classroom. President Clinton and Vice President Gore are leading the fight to keep guns out of children's hands and make our schools safer. More Americans are going to college than ever before. New federal initiatives are underway to help states and schools districts reduce class size, hire good new teachers, and expand after-school programs to give children enriched learning opportunities.

There's also progress on another level-a growing interest in parental involvement. Recently, the U. S. Department of Education issued a guide describing effective strategies to get fathers more involved in their children's education. Our research shows that students living in two-parent families with highly involved fathers are more than 40 percent more likely to get mostly A's in school. And even when fathers don't live with their children but remain highly involved, their children are one-third more likely to get mostly A's. I hope you'll join me in getting that message out to every father who needs to hear it.

Another sign of progress has been the strong partnership between the PTA and the U. S. Department of Education. Last August, for example, President Markell joined me on a bus where we visited schools in five states as part of our "America Goes Back to School" campaign. This annual campaign helps to build greater parental and community support for education all across the nation. We had such a good time last year that we're doing it again this August. This time, we're going to visit seven states-Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, and Tennessee.

So if you live in those states, please help us turn out students, parents, teachers, and other community members to "go back to school" with us. And if our bus happens to stop at your house, I hope you'll let us use the facilities. We're going to be on that bus a long time.

The PTA and the U. S. Department of Education joined together in 1994 to help launch the national Partnership for Family Involvement in Education. There were only 34 organizations and businesses with us then. Today, there are more than 6,000, all working to support education and families.

The PTA and my Department are also joining in a new project to support Hispanic education. We will distribute a videotape kit that will provide basic suggestions for helping Hispanic children succeed in school. The kit will be distributed to PTA chapters at schools with significant numbers of Hispanic students in coordination with the PTA's Urban Initiative.

Improving Hispanic education is one of my most important goals. Now, some people might wonder why I am setting any goals at all at this time. They might say, "Riley, the President's term is ending in seven months. Now isn't the time to set ambitious goals-now's the time to rest on your laurels and take it easy."

Well, I may be a "lame duck," but I'm still the "same duck" I was on my first day as Secretary of Education. And that means I'm going to fight for education every hour of every day, and I don't mind ruffling some feathers along the way, especially in Congress.

For example, let me tell you what I think is really lame-the attempt by the majority in Congress to make deep cuts in education. The U. S. House of Representatives has voted to slash many of the initiatives that have produced the progress I mentioned a few moments ago. The House wants to slow down or completely eliminate efforts to reduce class size, expand after-school programs, widen access to technology, turn around low-performing schools, and strengthen accountability.

And at a time when we're facing a severe teacher shortage, the House would even halt the President's plan to help states and schools to hire more than 70,000 good new teachers. All told, the House would cut nearly $3 billion from the President's request for education, and that's something I'm going to fight tooth-and-nail.

The House is even ignoring the President's school construction proposal, and that deeply disturbs me. One-third of all schools in America need a major repair, or they're in such bad shape that they must be completely replaced. I visited a school where the air is so bad that it threatens the health of students and teachers and even the lives of children with asthma. Many other schools in America are severely overcrowded.

The President has offered plans to repair 25,000 schools during the next five years and build or modernize an additional 6,000 schools. I find it appalling that the majority in Congress has turned its back on this. I find it even more appalling that many of these same representatives have voted to use federal funds to build prisons. My friends, if we can build state-of-the-art prisons for our criminals, we can build decent schools for our kids.

School modernization isn't the only important challenge that we face. I want to end my speech by spending a couple of minutes talking about a few of the other big challenges in education. I hope to work with all of you on these issues.

First, we must have universally available preschool for all 4-year-olds, and 3-year-olds where appropriate. Early childhood education should be the "next big thing" in education. Earlier means smarter-it's as simple as that.

Let's end the "reading wars" between between phonics and whole language. Research shows that a combination of the two is the best way to go. So let's stop fighting about reading and start teaching reading. If we do, we will hear many more children say the eight magic words that can solve all of our education problems: "Shut off the TV-I'm trying to read!"

Let's make the arts a part of every student's basic education. The arts have the power to "turn on" millions of children to education and get them excited about going to school. The arts aren't a frill, they're a thrill for children.

Let's close achievement gaps. We know that good after-school programs, as well as smaller class size, can help close achievement gaps based on family income, race, disability, geographical area, and other factors. So why doesn't every low-income child, rural child, disabled child, or child who has fallen behind have access to these resources? That's some food for thought.

We need to find innovative ways to encourage more parental involvement. The Sacramento, Calif., school district pays teachers to go directly into the homes of students who need extra help to work with them one-on-one. The students are doing better, and their parents feel more connected to teachers and education than ever before. I hope other districts will think about launching a similar innovative effort.

Let's start paying teachers what they're worth. We've got a teacher shortage in this country, and we're never going to solve it by trying to get good teachers on the cheap. I suggest that we tear up the nine-month contracts and put teachers on year-round contracts and pay them accordingly. Teachers can use the extra time to teach summer school and to participate in professional development activities in reading, early childhood development, and so on. We'll get our money's worth-and then some.

Finally, let's reinvent high school. Too many high schools are too big. Smaller school environments are more conducive to learning. Let's create schools-within-schools, career academies, and magnet schools with no more than 600 students. The president is asking Congress for $120 million to help 700 high schools to restructure themselves in these ways.

My friends, I want to end by talking about two young men from the African nation of Guinea, one 14, the other 15. They stowed away in the cargo hold of a plane that flew to Belgium last year. They brought with them a letter that read, in part: "Our problems [in Africa] are many: War, sickness, lack of education, and children's rights. We want to study, and we ask that you help us. . . ." Well, I'm sorry to say this story has a tragic ending, because when that plane landed, those boys were found dead.

This tragic story highlights a very meaningful point about education. All over this world, people are dreaming of getting a good education. They are even willing to die for it. Here in America, we have the resources to give all of our people a great education. I want to thank you for everything that you're doing to give all of our children the quality education that is their birthright. I share your dream, and I look forward to working with you to make it come true.

Thank you very much.