I am pleased we could gather here in this lovely setting. The National Museum of Women in the Arts is one of the cultural treasures of our nation.

I am the son of two educators. You can imagine that we talked about teaching and school. I learned a lot about education at the dinner table. So I feel quite at home tonight. Over dinner, my parents talked about the great gifts required for outstanding teaching: knowledge of subject, ability to communicate, the magic of the classroom, the inspiration you give to students, your great empathy, and the many sacrifices you make to give the gift of education. They especially appreciated sacrifice, because they knew great teachers often give up much personal and family time to meet with students.

We are doubly fortunate to have dinner in this setting. This is an appropriate place to discuss the wonder of knowledge; it is a place of learning. If you have been here recently, you may have toured an exhibition of Lotte Jacobi, the German -American photographer. Year after year, in frame after frame, you see Ms. Jacobi learning more about technique, style, imagery, and scope. You see her develop as a photographer, an artist, and a historian of humanity. Students come here, examining her work, hoping to find out more about film, light, perspective, and technique.

That's what makes this museum a significant classroom. Education takes place here every day. Thousands of people make a pilgrimage here to find enlightenment, education, entertainment, and solace. For as they examine the paintings, photographs, and other objects of art, they ultimately find themselves.

I must add my thanks to Lyn McLain and the members of the DC Youth Orchestra for sharing their talent this evening. The music is exceptional and seems a perfect complement to our beautiful visual surroundings. Lyn is the founder and music director of the DC Youth Orchestra Program, and he deserves our appreciation for developing the musical talents of students like these for 44 years.

Like all of you, Lyn is an educator, a teacher, and an inspiration. All teachers are patrons of knowledge, as we invest our time and energy in a discipline of lifelong study. All teachers have a vision of accomplishment and work to implement that vision. All teachers identify and cultivate the talents of their pupils.

That's why I believe teachers have a vitally important job. Along with parents and others in the community, teachers assist a student to grow personally and to expand his or her intellectual horizons.

Teachers are the stewards of mankind's inherited achievements. You guide and instruct students as they discover and analyze our cultural and historical inheritance. You are instrumental in teaching civility and social skills, and in passing on community values.

You help students feel the joy of learning, inspiring a lifelong process of self-education.

Like the photographs in the Jacobi exhibit and the music around us this evening, your influence will remain for decades to come.

Because your work is so imperative, President Bush and I want to make sure you have the tools you need. The American school system must become and remain the best in the world. We need all of our students to excel, not just some. The president wants to raise all public and private schools to the highest levels of scholarship and motivation. The essential first step is the No Child Left Behind law, because it makes education more inclusive, fair, and successful. It makes schools place qualified teachers in the classrooms in all schools. Schools now must teach all students. The name of the law is also a promise: no child will be left behind

The No Child Left Behind law is also part of an unprecedented investment in education research. We have invested, and will continue to invest, millions of dollars in research on reading, science, and mathematics instruction, and on many other areas of instruction. We want to know more about what works in the classroom. Then we want to pass this information on to you.

We want this research to help teachers become more effective educators. We also want this research to become a centerpiece of education instruction in our colleges and universities. Many of our universities have become mired in approaches to education that are decades behind current knowledge. We are hopeful that a more research-oriented approach will make for stronger, more relevant training of teachers.

Education research can strengthen the entire teaching profession. That is why our Teacher-To Teacher initiative is a top priority at the Department of Education. We want to provide new forums for dialogue among teachers, such as the roundtables we are hosting across the nation. We want teachers to talk to other teachers about their experiences and techniques. We also want teachers to talk with policy-makers about how best to support their efforts in the classroom. We want teachers to receive new information immediately through e-mails and other forms of communication. And we want to speed up the process of translating new research into practice.

Tomorrow there will be much discussion about all of this, especially as it relates to reading, mathematics, the arts, and the sciences. I am delighted that you have come to be a part of it all. Your voice can help. Your participation will be invaluable for other teachers and, through them, for students around the country. Your insights will help us do more through the Department of Education. And all of this adds up to a powerful contribution to our nation and the world.

I would conclude by speaking one more time about this remarkable exhibition of Lotte Jacobi's work. There is a photograph of Albert Einstein, a great teacher, as well as a groundbreaking discoverer. Jacobi captures his quiet intensity, his deep introspection, and his touching humanity. You can almost see his vision of the infinite.

At this conference, I hope we dare to dream, to explore, and to learn more about our world and ourselves. Like Einstein, I hope that our gaze will become fixed upon discovery and upon enlightenment. And like him, I hope each of us becomes a portrait of a man or woman in search of truth, serving the common good.

Again, let me thank Ray Simon, Marilyn Reznick, and everyone involved in this event. Thank you for such a good start to our work together. Thank you for a fantastic dinner in this unique classroom of culture. Thank you for participating.

Again, I welcome all of you. See you tomorrow.

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