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Crediting the president's No Child Left Behind Act with "making a positive difference in millions of lives," U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige offered evidence from around the nation that the law is working.

"We are at the beginning of a new era in education," said Secretary Paige in his annual Back-to-School Address at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. "I am proud to report that our schools are improving, American education is getting better—and it is because of No Child Left Behind and the hard-working teachers and administrators in our nation's schools."

Paige was joined by students and educators who have been positively affected by the law. "It is the one-on-one encounters that I carry around with me," Paige said before introducing one of the students, Fatima Rodriguez, a limited-English proficient student at Georgia's Gainesville Elementary School.

"NCLB has made a huge difference," Paige reported. "In just two years, Fatima learned English, is reading on grade level, and passed the state test for promotion to fourth grade."

Paige recounted similar success stories from students and schools across the country. "Those individual stories add up and multiply," he said, offering statistical evidence from Delaware, Georgia, Illinois, New York and Oregon. "Such examples are the building blocks of strong performances in many states."

Paige contrasted the current educational landscape with what the President and he saw when they arrived in Washington. "Before No Child Left Behind," Paige said, "this nation confronted a de facto apartheid in our schools. Millions of students were mired in mediocrity, denied a quality education." He cited a "huge achievement gap between the ethnic groups" resulting in "students finishing high school with a junior high school education."

Thanks to NCLB, "the percentage of African American and Hispanic fourth-graders who know their reading and math basics increased substantially more between 2000 and 2003 than in the previous eight years combined," Paige said. "As a result," he added, "the achievement gap is closing."

Paige also credited President Bush with a 36 percent increase in federal support for education. "He promised to provide the resources to make this law work," Paige noted. "And he has delivered."

At the same time, Paige reassured taxpayers that No Child Left Behind was promoting wise stewardship of their money. "Most Americans would define an 'investment' as something they watch grow," he said. "They want to see whether their investment pays off ... [and] whether students are indeed learning."

Paige offered a word of caution to politicians seeking to water down or repeal the law. "The debate about this law is over. No Child Left Behind is here. And it is here to stay," he said. "If we backtrack, if we falter, if we renege on our promise to our children, then we will lose the most important and profound opportunity in our lifetime to make education better for this generation of students and those that follow."

Paige also defended the testing provisions of No Child Left Behind, which have been criticized by some members of the education establishment. "We must assess all children—every single one—because otherwise they will not be counted," he said. "Otherwise, they can fall through the cracks."

Paige concluded by asking Americans to share a unique vision of the future. "I ask you to see education reform through the eyes of a child," he said. "Our students see a powerful positive difference."

"Each day we get closer to the best in American education, discarding our deficiencies and correcting long-standing problems," he said. "Each day we better serve our children. ... Each day we take one step closer to this future of excellence and inclusion."

To read the full text of Secretary Paige's Back to School Address, please log onto www.ed.gov/news/speeches/2004/09/09242004.html.

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