FOR RELEASE: June 14, 2005

Speaker sometimes deviates from text.

It's wonderful to be here in Indiana. It may be the only place with as much state pride as my home state of Texas!

And that pride is richly deserved. Don't ever tell a Hoosier that something is impossible or out of reach. They'll probably ask why you've never seen the movie "Hoosiers"!

That's the lesson we tell our children—that anything is possible with hard work.

President Bush believes, as do you and I, that students in any school—large or small, urban, rural or suburban—have every right to dream big.

We believe that every single child can learn in class and succeed in life, that their destiny does not depend on geography or skin color. Instead, it depends on the three Ds: desire, discipline and determination.

Let me add a fourth D: data.

To clearly see the challenge we face, we must first clearly view the performance of our children. Which ones are falling behind? Which ones are leading the way? What subjects must we focus on? And what services do they need?

The No Child Left Behind Act is the key to this effort. As you know, NCLB asks that our students—all of them—read and do math at grade level or better by 2014. As the president says, grade level is not too much to ask. And I agree.

It measures student performance annually in grades 3-8, based on Indiana standards, not federal ones. And it separates the scores by student group so students at risk of falling behind are not hidden by the averages and ignored.

Information is the key to holding schools accountable for improved performance every year among every student group. Data is our best management tool. I often say that what gets measured, gets done.

Once we know the contours of the problem, and who is affected, we can put forward a solution. Teachers can adjust lesson plans. Administrators can evaluate curricula. Data can inform decisionmaking.

Thanks to No Child Left Behind, we're no longer flying blind. This is the time of the year when our schools release their Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) data. That data helps states target their finite resources to the classrooms where the need is greatest and most urgent. And it helps hold our Department accountable for developing strategies to improve performance across the country.

The returns are in from Maryland, Georgia, Florida, New York and Indiana, among other states. And while they contain much good news, they show plenty of room for improvement as well. Maryland, for example, made across-the-board gains in reading and math scores, and "stunning" improvement among Hispanic and African-American third-graders, in the words of their state school chief.

For Indiana, the news is mixed. First, the good news: you're doing a much better job of reaching every single young Hoosier. You have doubled the number of grades and students tested. That is no small feat. For the first time, AYP results were calculated for all students in grades 3-10.

Your experience should serve as a positive example to any state that would rather not test all of its students every year.

Now we can truly see the big picture. It shows us the path to improvement and the course corrections we must make along the way.

So where does Indiana need to improve? A majority of schools—about 60 percent—made all of their AYP targets. But the data tells us, as we see throughout the country, that students with disabilities need more of our time and attention, in both English and mathematics. We also see a need for greater improvement among students eligible for free or reduced-price lunches.

The data also tells us that you did a better job of improving the performance of Hispanic and limited-English proficient students than of African-American students.

We need to do a better job at identifying these students' education needs and helping them at an earlier stage. And I believe Indiana is prepared to do just that.

Your governor cares deeply about education. I have had the privilege of working with him on national education policy, and I know this to be true.

You have business and community leaders who understand its importance, as evidenced by the work of Indiana's Education Roundtable.

You have teachers and principals willing to make it happen, some of whom participated in this summit and shared their reforms and vision.

And you have citizens who only want the best for their state, as evidenced by the fact that education spending has doubled in just over a decade. That's a noble investment. And you have a governor who wants to ensure that your investment pays off.

My attitude is best expressed by an old Texas saying: "In God we trust; all others bring data." This is important in so many ways. Policymakers must know which areas need the most immediate help. Parents must know exactly how their own child's school is doing; that is their right.

Today, thanks to No Child Left Behind, they can log onto the Indiana Department of Education Web site and print out a one-page sheet telling them where their school succeeded and where it fell short. That sheet also tells them exactly how every student group is performing, for each of the past three years. This data tool is a remarkable and powerful feature of the law.

Data is important in another way. It allows us to solidly ground our policies in the very best and latest scientific information.

Earlier this year, I announced a new policy for states that show real results in following the principles of No Child Left Behind. They will be eligible for new tools to help students with disabilities. It's based on the latest research showing that a portion of these students can succeed with targeted interventions.

We've also announced new proposed regulations to align the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, more commonly known as IDEA, with NCLB goals, including a quality teacher for every student with disabilities.

Finally, research tells us the most effective ways to teach children how to read. Today, our groundbreaking Reading First and Early Reading First grants are helping one-and-a-half million of them learn this critical skill by third grade.

We are able to take these steps because of our strong partnerships with Indiana and the states, the vast majority of which have chosen to embrace No Child Left Behind and the spirit of reform that it has brought. And for that, we thank you.

Now we must take the next step and advance to high school.

The president and I believe it is time to introduce the principles of No Child Left Behind to grades 9-12. We have every right to demand that graduates in Indiana and elsewhere be given the skills to compete in the world and not just be "socially promoted" to life. I know you agree or you wouldn't be here today.

Under the president's proposed $1.5 billion High School Initiative, student progress would be measured in all grades, and states and educators would get to set priorities to improve achievement in reading and math.

According to the Alliance for Excellent Education, students who read significantly below grade level are 20 times more likely to drop out of school than their higher-achieving peers. So we must make sure that incoming students are given intensive intervention. President Bush's Striving Readers program and new Secondary Education Mathematics Initiative would do exactly that.

The data tells us that rigorous coursework is a great predictor of later success. Indiana is part of the State Scholars partnership, which seeks a college-ready curriculum in every high school. This includes four credits in English, three-and-a-half in social studies, three each in math and science, and two in a foreign language.

Today, just three in 10 students nationwide complete the recommended minimum coursework for college entrance. I want to thank Indiana's Education Roundtable for promoting its P-16 Plan for Improving Student Achievement, which aligns curricula, instruction and testing with the high expectations of our businesses and universities.

President Bush has proposed new funding to encourage states to join the State Scholars program, and Enhanced Pell Grants of up to $1,000 for low-income high school students taking these classes.

The president has also called for a 73 percent increase for Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs. The funds would be used to train teachers and defray costs such as exam fees for low-income students.

I would encourage states to look at Indiana's Core 40 curriculum as a model approach. It was designed for success in college and the workforce. In the 2003-04 school year, nearly two-thirds of graduates earned a Core 40 diploma. In a few years, thanks to a law signed by Gov. Daniels, it will be a graduation requirement for all.

Finally, we know that the best-intended programs cannot succeed without good teachers. Again, the classroom is where it must happen.

No Child Left Behind insists on a qualified teacher in every classroom. And we're putting our money where our mouth is. Just last week, the U.S. House of Representatives took historic action by including the president's proposal to create a teacher incentive worth $100 million.

It will help attract the best educators to serve in the most challenging schools, and will reward those who improve results for students.

Finally, we've more than tripled loan forgiveness for qualified math, science and special education teachers who choose to serve in high-need schools. There is a need, and we must work to fill it.

When we can clearly see the challenge, we can more easily see our way to meeting it. Let me give you an example. Meadowbrook Elementary School in New Haven, near Fort Wayne, was placed on the "needs improvement" list three years ago.

Under No Child Left Behind, the school was given funds to restructure its staff and change its curriculum. It took a look at the need, instituting full-day kindergarten, expanding summer school and doubling teacher evaluations. The school focused time and resources on the point of instruction, in the classroom.

The bottom line? This year Meadowbrook made its state-set progress goals. Hard work and tough choices by adults paid off for the kids of New Haven!

"Before No Child Left Behind there wasn't any strict accountability in place," one district official said. She added, "It's a way of life at Meadowbrook now."

We want our high schools to enjoy the same high standards and accountability.

The high school model of today is not much different from that of our grandparents' day. As Bill Gates has said, "Training the workforce of tomorrow with today's high schools is like trying to teach kids about today's computers on a 50-year-old mainframe."

It's not easy to get Republican and Democratic governors to agree. But one thing they agree on is the need for reform. Nearly a third of entering ninth-graders do not receive their diploma on schedule.

Two-thirds of high school graduates are not prepared for college, according to the Manhattan Institute—this at a time when about 80 percent of the fastest—growing jobs will require some post-secondary education.

We cannot go on having three-fourths of the best jobs available to only a third of our graduates!

After all, Indiana is not a closed market. You understand that your students are competing not just with 49 other states, but with nearly 200 nations.

Yesterday you heard from Dr. Willard Daggett about the stiff global competition we face. Suffice it to say, businesses have a choice between expanding in Kokomo, Indiana, or Bangalore, India. The quality of our schools will determine what choice they make.

Taxpayers and citizens have every right to expect results for the investment they make. And I know [Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction] Dr. [Suellen] Reed, Gov. Daniels and all of you here feel the same way.

I am encouraged by the unity I've seen today and throughout my brief tenure as secretary. While we may feel occasional gusts of opposition, the prevailing wind continues to point toward reform.

I witnessed it this February at the National Governors Association Education Summit, whose leaders were near-unanimous in their call for change. I hear it in the voices of college presidents and business leaders, desperate to maintain America's edge in the world.

I see it in the faces of parents thankful that their children are being served—truly served—for the very first time.

Last month, the Indianapolis Star editorialized: "No Child Left Behind has been the much-needed step in bringing greater attention to the problems that plague public schools. For that, it should be strengthened." I couldn't agree more.

Education reform is truly a team effort. And I know in the end, our children will be the true winners.

Thank you.

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