Thank you. Just over one hundred years ago, at a Baptist Convention in Georgia, Nannie Burroughs walked to a podium much like this one. Rarely has there been as charismatic, popular, and influential leader. That day she shared a vision of "a new day dawning" for African American women. She said that there would be "an awakening within" and a "setting in motion of a new force."

Her dream became reality over the next century in Montgomery, in Selma, in Birmingham, and right here in Washington. And she was right...African American women led that awakening: early on Harriet Tubman, then Mary McLeod Bethune, Rosa Parks, Barbara Jordan, Coretta Scott King, and Dr. Dorothy Height.

It's no secret, I'm an admirer of Dorothy's. In fact, I should tell you that I have a picture of Dorothy on the wall by my office door. I see it every day. She's smiling in that picture, no matter what I do.

That photo reminds me of our common mission...to use every moment, every opportunity, to make this country more just, equitable, and good. And that mission starts with education.

I know you understand. There is a long, proud tradition of education in the African American community. We have produced some of the greatest educators in history. Frederick Douglass and his Sabbath Schools. W.E.B. DuBois and the "talented tenth." Benjamin Elijah Mays opening his office door to young Martin Luther King, Jr. Maya Angelou sharing thoughts about Langston Hughes. Wynton Marseilles conducting master classes, and endlessly talking about John Coltrane and Louis Armstrong.

African Americans share knowledge, because education is emancipation. Education is freedom.

I've mentioned some names you would recognize. But there are tens of thousands of African American mentors working quietly and effectively: business leaders, opinion-makers, clergy, scholars, diplomats, doctors, lawyers, engineers, and teachers. And there are profoundly influential organizations at work, like the National Council of Negro Women. W.E.B. Dubois called African American women "the pillars" of black culture. He was right. Each of you has been part of that "new day dawning." You are the awakening, the new force that Nannie Burroughs prophesied on that October day in 1902. The National Council of Negro Women is a powerful and profound contributor to our people and this country. I am very thankful for your long-standing interest in education and support for inclusiveness in our schools.

My mother, who was a teacher, used to sternly tell me that there was no more powerful force on earth than black women. She said that if you wanted to see physics in action, just turn African American women lose on a problem. And then don't get in the way!!! If they want change, it will happen!!!

I noticed she always said that with my father in the room. And he nodded wisely...what else could he do?...she was right!!!

And she said that the first battleground for African American women had to be the schools. She understood that education places an important spotlight on a child. Teaching shows how much you value that child. The teacher provides knowledge and experience. Those are very valuable commodities, given freely. But time and attention are the greatest resource. They are infinitely more precious than gold, and every second given to a child is an investment in the future. Children recognize this. Attention and time are decisive factors in creating confidence, pride, humility, vision, self-understanding, focus, direction, and purpose.

That is why it is an outrage when a child is ignored or forgotten. As Thurgood Marshall once said, there is "no way" to compensate a child for a lost education. When a child is under-educated, opportunities for growth have been stolen, a future compromised, a life wasted. The student is condemned to economic darkness, robbed of economic security and personal advancement.

Millions of our children have been ignored, forgotten, callously condemned. They have been passed through and passed out of the educational system without the skills necessary to grow and compete in the 21st century. By its nature, this is a quiet, silent, hidden crisis. But it is a national emergency. There is a two-tiered system: one for lucky, successful students, and one for unfortunate, disregarded students. Many students come to school, but find little education. The vast majority (yes, the vast majority) of students left behind are disadvantaged or low-income. In effect, there is an emerging de-facto educational apartheid in this country. It is a tragedy and a scandal.

Some people refuse to believe it. But the evidence is indisputable. Last year, even as SAT scores rose, scores for African American SAT test-takers didn't rise, they remained flat. And Hispanic American scores actually went down over previous years. The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) scores show that by the time they reach twelfth grade, only one in six African-Americans and one in five Hispanics are proficient in reading. NAEP math scores are even worse: only 3 percent of blacks and 4 percent of Hispanics are testing at the proficient level.

Two months ago, I released a report that further supports that conclusion. Its title is "Status and Trends in the Education of Blacks," prepared by the Department's National Center for Education Statistics. The report looks at two decades of research. African American children don't advance to the next grade at the same rate as their white peers. We have higher dropout rates and lower test scores on exams beside the SAT. Gaps in reading achievement showed no evidence of narrowing during the 1990s. Performance gaps between Blacks and Whites ages 13-17 have actually widened between 1988 and 1999.

The result is that inadequately trained students form an underclass. Each year, as more students graduate with skills below their capacities, this underclass grows and multiplies.

The President deserves great credit for recognizing this division and addressing it. On his fourth day in office, the President proposed the No Child Left Behind blueprint. The President wanted a quality education all for students, and a guarantee of the full promise of our democracy. And with bipartisan support, No Child Left Behind became the law of the land.

For the first time in the history of our nation, every state in our nation has an accountability plan that holds all schools and all students in their state to the same high standards.

For the first time in our nation parents and teachers will be able to work together to make sure no child is left behind. Every child counts.

No Child Left Behind is a tough law. But it's a good law. It focuses attention on the children who most need our help; but it benefits all children. Thanks to No Child Left Behind, I'm proud to report that all across the country, communities are empowered with the information they need to take action.

• This fall, parents are getting information about how well their school is performing, and about their teacher's qualifications.
• Schools and teachers will have detailed information about their students' achievement so that they can adapt their lessons and better serve ALL their students.
• And parents of students attending high-need schools will receive a letter telling them they have options if their child's school hasn't made sufficient progress over the last couple years.
• And they will find that they have more federal funding. The highest federal support in history.

The law is funded at a level to make it work! This Administration has provided record spending—the highest investment per child ever. President Bush and the Congress have provided a $3 billion increase for Title I spending in the first two years following passage of No Child Left Behind. That is a 33 percent increase. The President sought an additional $1 billion for Title I in Fiscal Year 2004. We believe that this level of funding is more than enough to carry out the changes called for in the new law.

The Administration's FY 2004 budget includes $390 million to help states develop and implement annual reading and mathematics assessments in Grades 3 through 8. In addition, the FY 2004 budget proposed $4.5 billion for teacher-related programs and benefits, $2.85 billion in state formula grants for teacher quality, over $800 million in set asides for professional development in state grant programs, and an additional half billion dollars in loan forgiveness and tax benefits for teachers.

We know our changes can work. There is evidence of improvement coming in from around the country. For example, Earl Hansen Elementary School in Rock Island, Illinois shows what can be done. More than 70 percent of the students come from low-income families. In fact, the number of students from low-income families rose from 58 percent in 2001 to 71 percent in 2003. But during that same time period, 2001-2003, test scores rose. The school was chosen as a "Spotlight School" in Illinois, which reflects the fact that test scores were high and that the provisions of No Child Left Behind were met. One commentator has said that the success of this school is because "they expect every child to excel and they find ways to make that happen."

That is the promise of No Child Left Behind. That is why I call it a revolution.

I know that there will be much discussion about all of these actions at this conference. But I would like to suggest a few ways we can help each other. I know that you want the educational system to improve and be more inclusive. So do I. We can make that happen if we work together.

For example, for those of you with children, get them to turn off the television and the Internet, and read. They need every opportunity, every chance, to fill their minds with knowledge and to broaden their horizons. Books are one of the best weapons against poverty and discrimination.

I also need you to monitor their education even more closely. With vigilance!!! Assume nothing. Find out if your kids are getting the attention and education they deserve. And if not, go to the teachers and the administrators. Demand more quality. Believe me, I'm making similar demands on my end through the department. If you push hard on your end, we will be successful.

We can also work together to fully implement the law. I need your active support, your effort, your attention, your pressure, your voice, and your wisdom. There has been resistance to the law, particularly by the unions and some of the school board members. They don't like accountability and testing, although they offer only the failed policies of the past as an alternative. Some teachers don't want to be bothered with inclusiveness...they want to do things their own way. And to put it bluntly, some people don't like change because it is different.

We must fight that resistance. This organization has credibility and clout. You are the awakening, the force in motion. Your partnership in our efforts could be decisive. You can reach out through your membership to become a powerful, relentless advocate for inclusiveness and quality in education, nationally and within each school district. I need you to be education's advocates, accepting nothing less than full compliance with this law. And my mother was right...if you turn this organization loose—4,000 women strong—nothing would stop you.

We must work together to ensure a quality education for every child in this country. We can transform American education, one child at a time, with none left behind. Let us have a vision like Nannie Burroughs, a vision of education that is more equitable, effective, and inclusive. Then, with No Child Left Behind, let us set a revolution in motion.

Thank you.

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