I want to welcome you all to the Department's 3rd Annual Summit on English Language Acquisition. And I want to thank Maria Hernandez Ferrier and her great team at the Office of English Language Acquisition for once again putting together a terrific program.

This is a special time for us. It's a time to pause and look back on the progress of the last three years, so we can chart a course for the future.

Our first Summit, held just months after passage of the No Child Left Behind Act, focused on our new mission: results. The needs of the student would now come before the needs of the system. We sought to bridge the gap between process and progress in the classroom.

Last year's Summit focused on parental involvement. We wanted parents of English Language Learners to play a more active role and to know their rights when it came to their child's education.

By giving them information and helping them overcome barriers of language and culture, we sought to bridge the gap between knowledge and preparation in the home.

Thanks to these efforts, at this year's Summit we can talk about bridging the most important gap of all: the "achievement gap" in our schools.

Today, in state after state, test scores are rising and the achievement gap is closing between students of different races and ethnicities.

• In Maryland, the percentage of Hispanic fifth-graders scoring proficient in math rose nearly 10 points in one year.

• In Massachusetts, the percentage of African American, Asian American and Hispanic American students performing at proficient in language arts increased in all tested grades.

• In Georgia, Hispanic students narrowed the gap between their white classmates by four points in two years.

Similar stories abound, in states such as Illinois and North Carolina, Wisconsin and New Mexico, Delaware and Ohio. And more results are on the way.

We are also seeing major progress in the largest urban school districts. The Council of the Great City Schools reported a five-point jump in reading proficiency and a nearly seven-point jump in math proficiency among fourth-graders—in just one year!

Scores for Hispanic students were equally impressive—nearly seven out of ten in all grades tested showed improvement in both subjects.

Nationwide, we are seeing improvement after a long period of stagnation. The percentage of African American and Hispanic fourth-graders who know their reading and math basics increased far more between 2000 and 2003 than in the previous eight years combined.

We're seeing gains in later years, too. Hispanic students improved their math and verbal SAT scores, and are the fastest-growing group of test-takers. Hispanic scores also increased on the latest ACT college assessment test.

What do these improvements tell us? First, they tell us about the people behind the numbers. This is truly a team effort.

Improvement like this does not happen in a vacuum. It takes hard work and dedication from teachers, principals, parents, community and business leaders—and, yes, the students themselves. All elements must work together in order to succeed.

Second, these test score improvements show the importance of accountability. While we have been true partners, we have also been serious about enforcing the law.

When I became Secretary of Education, only 11 states were in compliance with federal education law. Last year, we levied fines against states that refused to comply with No Child Left Behind. Believe it or not, it was the first time in our Department's history that funds had been taken away for non-compliance!

Fortunately, this has not been a widespread concern. All 50 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have accountability plans in place. And independent studies have shown that most states are well on their way to meeting most elements of No Child Left Behind.

Third, these improvements tell us that high standards are the right standards.

We are ending what President Bush has rightly called the "soft bigotry of low expectations"—and students are showing us the sky's the limit!

We insist upon real, measurable progress every year, among every type of student. And we're seeing it—according to the Education Trust, the percentage of schools making Adequate Yearly Progress is up in most states.

While states and school districts set the standards, no longer can they hide troublesome scores behind the "norm." When one group of students falls behind, all of us must work together to bring them back up.

That's why teamwork and partnerships between parents, teachers and students are so important. No Child Left Behind is providing:

• new information for parents, including annual school report cards and our "Healthy Start, Grow Smart" booklets;

• new choices for students, including afterschool homework help and the possibility of being able to transfer to a school that better suits the child's needs; and

• new support for teachers, including grants to improve teacher quality and real-time Internet workshops so teachers can share best practices with one another.

I'd also like to mention a few great local outreach programs that are showing real "team spirit."

One is Project Pathways of Alameda County Schools in California, which stresses respect across cultural lines.

Another is Texas A&M's Abriendo Puertas—"Opening Doors"—which teaches parents how to achieve their dreams of higher education for their children.

Two others are the Family Leadership Institute and the Parent Outreach and School-Community Development Program. They bring together parents, teachers and community leaders behind the goal of high academic achievement.

The four groups are represented here today. Thank you for coming.

I firmly believe that "seeing is achieving." When every student is visible—when every student's voice is heard by the educational establishment—they cannot be permanently consigned to failure.

This is perhaps the most valuable aspect of No Child Left Behind. Some have criticized its implementation—they believe adding bureaucratic paperwork will help. I couldn't disagree more. The proof is in the pudding—student achievement is growing. Students are learning. And independent studies confirm it.

To keep this progress going, it is critical that every student learn to read. Reading is the key that unlocks the doors of knowledge, creativity and opportunity. It's never too early to start opening those doors.

A month's worth of growth and progress at a young age can save us years of remedial training a decade down the road. One survey found that just 16 percent of Hispanic students who speak English well drop out of school—compared to nearly 60 percent of those who do not.

Good teachers and good teaching methods are the keys to success. Our Reading First program is aimed at more than 75,000 teachers, training them in scientifically proven instructional methods—no more fads.

And our Early Reading First grants give pre-schoolers the foundational skills to become successful readers by no later than third grade. As I said before, it's never too early to start.

That's why today we celebrate more than numbers. We also celebrate our "Rising Stars"—educators who have demonstrated success in teaching English Language Learners to read and succeed.

The ELL education professionals we'll recognize later today—Kathy Mellor, Adela Weinstein and Carmen Perez-Hogan—are each making wonderful contributions to their community and their country.

I want to thank all ELL teachers helping our four million English Language Learners achieve the American Dream.

They've shown that no student is impossible to teach—and that every student deserves to learn. We won't be satisfied until every student says those three words: "Yo Si Puedo"—Yes I Can. Thank you.

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