SECRETARY PAIGE: Thank you, and thank you for coming. We are real proud that you're here. I know that Mr. Schwarzenegger feels the same.

We just wanted to brief you on some conversations we had this week about how we can improve the quality and quantity of after-school programs for America's schools. As you know, once the school bell rings in the afternoon at 3 o'clock, millions of American children have nowhere to go. Some of them are home alone. This hour between 3 and 6 o'clock is an important hour for us.

While we know that there are some good after-school programs, we also know that there are not enough of them. Every kid who needs one does not have one. We need more, and we need better.

By "quality," I mean after-school programs that are strong academically, but also are interesting to kids so kids want to come. It doesn't matter how good the program is if the kids don't want to come.

We also need more research to tell us what works in after-school programs and determine how we're going to evaluate them—how do we know that the programs are working?

With that in mind, Arnold and the Department of Education co-hosted a gathering this week of some very thoughtful, bright, hardworking people—parents, students, educators, researchers, law enforcement officers, after-school program providers, and administrators from our office—to discuss how after-school programs could be improved and how they could better serve the millions of kids out there who need them—many of the kids who are home alone or on the streets.

I'm told this is a first for the Department of Education, and we really enjoyed being a participant. I see this summit as just a first step in an ongoing process at the Department to identify and support quality after-school programs that help develop young people. From his very first day in office, President Bush made it clear that he wants to provide an excellent opportunity for education for every child in America, every single one.

That was the motivation behind the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. And that is the motivation behind what we're doing now. Rather than being home alone or on the streets, children should be involved in positive academic or recreational activities with caring adults and role models whose goal is to help the children grow.

Today I'm pleased to be here with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bill White, president and CEO of the CS Mott Foundation to further our commitment to improve the quality of after-school programs and to expand the partnership with the Mott Foundation to include linking supplemental services, which are required under the No Child Left Behind Act, to after-school programs.

I've seen first-hand how much Arnold cares about this. He's really passionate about this. And we thank him for his energy and his commitment. The Mott Foundation has a long and proud history in helping with these programs. It has a history of putting its resources where America's heart is, and that's our children. I'm so pleased to announce that the Department of Education and the Mott Foundation, with Mr. Schwarzenegger, are joining forces to continue our president's commitment to strengthening after-school programs nationally.

Our plan includes, later this month we'll be sharing the findings from the discussion we've had the last couple of days with 1,400 participants of the Department's 21st Century After-school Summit Institute. We also will be hosting an after-school summit with state governors, in partnership with the National Governors Association. We'll be hosting a back-to-school event this fall celebrating after-school programs. We'll be providing technical assistance with our nation's mayors, in partnership with the National League of Cities, to ensure that the school-day curriculum and the after-school curriculum link with each other.

We'll be convening a meeting of all state education agencies in the fall as a follow-up to this wonderful summit we just concluded. The Department of Education and the CS Mott Foundation will also expand our partnership to increase public awareness of the importance of after-school programs and what it takes to make these good programs work. We'll also conduct pilot programs in several school districts to encourage quality after-school programs to link up with the supplemental services required under the No Child Left Behind Act.

The president's goal is excellence for every kid. He's asked this nation to step up and create schools and schooling experiences that are worthy of a great nation. And this is what we are going to get done. I'm proud to be in partnership with these two great men. Let me let you hear now from The Terminator.

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