U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today discussed the results of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's annual international report on education. The following are Secretary Paige's prepared remarks.

I firmly believe that when it comes to education, "seeing is achieving." It is difficult to change if we do not know what must be changed. And this year's OECD report is like a new pair of glasses to help us see beyond our own borders.

In this dynamic global economy, it's extremely important that we measure ourselves against our friends and competitors.

The 30 nations measured here account for about 80 percent of world trade. If we are less competitive educationally, we will soon become less competitive economically. It's just a fact.

The OECD report confirms it. In every country, education and earnings are strongly linked--even after factoring in tuition costs and lost income from college.

And the benefits are not limited to individuals--they include increased workforce productivity and technological progress.

Here in the U.S., the report found that income differences between adults with a high school diploma and those without--and between high school and college graduates--are some of the highest in the world.

Studies show that even a two-year associate degree packs a large financial punch in terms of lifetime earnings.

So we need to encourage all Americans--and the schools that teach them--to see the value of continuing their education.

Last year we launched the Preparing America's Future High School Initiative to elevate high schools and offer their students more challenging coursework to prepare for college, the workforce and life.

We've held seven regional high school summits to help states and localities develop performance plans for their high schools. And President Bush has proposed more than $300 million to bring all incoming high school students up to grade level in reading and math.

I believe we're starting to make progress in closing the "aspiration gap." This year a record number of college-bound seniors took the SAT test, and scores for the ACT rose nationwide for the first time since 1997.

That's good news--and it's greatly needed. The report shows our fourth-graders perform above the international average in reading literacy. But the longer they're in the system, the less competitive they become. By the time they reach high school age, they fall back to average.

The report also shows that other nations seem to be valuing education more and more. While the U.S. ranked first in adults aged 45 to 64 with a high school diploma, among 25- to 34-year-olds we rank only 10th.

And while we rank second only to Canada in college attainment, we could do much better--our college dropout rate is above the OECD average, and nearly six times higher than Japan's.

In other words, we're slipping a bit and our friends are closing the gap.

To turn it around we have to start at the beginning, encouraging high standards at the earliest grade levels. We must continue the reforms of the No Child Left Behind Act.

The law is clearly working. In states all across the country, test scores are rising and the "achievement gap" between different races and income levels is starting to close.

It's important to note that most of the numbers used in the OECD report pre-date the law and so do not reflect this improvement.

No Child Left Behind stresses the importance of "clearly seeing" every single student and addressing their needs before it's too late.

And it helps parents clearly see how their child's school is performing, not once in a while but annually through school "report cards." Parents have a right to know.

That's just the start. We must build a seamless and integrated system of high standards from kindergarten through college.

No Child Left Behind measures children in grades 3-8. President Bush seeks to expand it to grades 9 through 11, supported by $250 million in annual funding.

And we want to create an eLearning Clearinghouse of online courses available to students both young and old.

That is exactly the right approach to get our high schools ready for the 21st Century. The 1999 TIMSS international report showed America's 12th graders outperforming only two of 20 nations--Cyprus and South Africa--in science and mathematics. Clearly, maintaining that status quo is just not good enough.

Another important finding concerns funding.

According to this report, the U.S. spends substantially more money per student at every level--elementary, secondary and post-secondary--than the 30-nation average. Only three nations spend more on new elementary school teachers than the U.S. And, I might add, no country's teachers put in longer hours.

Good teachers are the key to performance. Show me a high-achieving student, and I'll show you a teacher who cared enough to set high standards.

We must reward these successful teachers. President Bush has proposed a $500 million student achievement incentive fund for high school teachers.

And he wants to triple the amount available for loan forgiveness for teachers serving low-income students.

At the same time No Child Left Behind is providing grants to ensure that all teachers are well trained and highly qualified.

There are many, many good schools in America, and we thank the outstanding and dedicated educators who made them that way.

But some clearly need improvement. They rob our children of their true potential--which robs our nation of its true potential.

It's time that taxpayers demand more. Americans must shed their "Lake Wobegone" mentality--the belief that every school is above-average, especially our own.

A poorly performing school somewhere affects Americans everywhere. The OECD findings bear this out. The price we pay is in lost opportunity – both as a nation and as individual citizens.

A true vision of education starts with seeing beyond our own borders and boundaries to make our education system great for all Americans.

I thank the OECD for helping us see that future more clearly. And I believe that future is within our reach.

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