This is U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige with "Straight Talk." Each year we remember the profound legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He understood that education is the most important step toward personal freedom and economic security. Good character is built through our thoughts, words, and deeds. Quality education leads to equality of people.

Unfortunately, educational opportunity is denied to millions of African American children. There is an achievement gap that destroys other attempts at equality. You see this inequality when a child reads at a level years behind his or her classmates...when a girl of color is ignored by her teacher.... or when a child with special needs receives minimal assistance. There is no excuse for leaving a child behind. Education is life itself. It is personal growth, the ability to gain economic security. Education comforts us when lonely and lightens our burdens when the path is rough. It is enlightenment, inspiration, and compassion. Education is also about civility, character building, and community.

That is why we must all work to educate all children. Dr. King said that we must share each other's fate—that one child under-educated is our problem. That one child who is ignored is our problem. That one child left behind is our problem.

Fortunately, an important solution is the President's No Child Left Behind Act, passed by Congress. It demands that each child receive a quality education—each child—all children. It provides the necessary information and accountability to make our schools more responsive. They will now provide a better education for our children.

I believe, as did Dr. King, that our schools are the foundation of freedom, that every child deserves a quality education. Freedom rings each time a school bell calls a class to order, and when each child receives the full promise of an education. Thanks to No Child Left Behind, freedom will ring for all children. This is U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige with "Straight Talk."

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