PRESS RELEASES
Statement of U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige Regarding ACT Assessment 2001 Results
Archived Information


FOR RELEASE:
August 15, 2001
Contact:  Lindsey Kozberg
(202) 401-3026

I congratulate the students who took the ACT examination on their achievement. The young men and women who took this test are seeking the dream of a college education. The results released today tell us that we have much to do to expand that dream for America's students — and particularly its minority students.

Despite record levels of spending on education programs over the last decade, the scores of our college-bound students on the ACT have not improved. More than a third of college aspirants are still not taking the type of advanced courses that will prepare them for college-level coursework. And although minority students are taking more courses that will prepare them for college-level work, the performance of most minority groups on the ACT is still measurably lower than that of white students.

These results make the case that President Bush's No Child Left Behind plan for changing the culture of complacency in America's schools is long overdue. States, school districts and schools must hold themselves accountable for setting high and clear standards and helping children to make progress toward those standards for learning. I thank ACT for its work to measure the academic achievement of our college-bound students, and I look forward to the day when the results of President Bush's education reforms can be demonstrated by the rising ACT scores of all students.

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Last Modified: 08/28/2003