U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige issued the following statement on "The Pell Grants Plus Act" legislation introduced today by Reps. Max Burns (R-Ga.) and Ric Keller (R-Fla).

"I applaud Reps. Burns and Keller for introducing this important piece of legislation. Their bill will serve as a strong incentive for industrious students to take rigorous academic high school coursework because they will receive up to $1,000 towards their postsecondary education. This money is in addition to the basic Pell Grant, which may be as high as $4,050, depending on family income. We know that parents and teachers across the country will be encouraging young people to take advantage of this program that rewards hard-working students from low-income families. More importantly, studies have shown that students who undertake rigorous coursework in high school are more likely to succeed in postsecondary education.

"Encouraging states to offer challenging programs of study and rewarding students who take the challenge is a key initiative in President Bush's FY2005 budget. I am delighted to see that Rep. Burns and Rep. Keller share the president's interest in promoting stronger academic preparation for our nation's students.

"In addition to proposing an enhanced Pell Grant similar to this bill, President Bush has proposed to more than double funding for the Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) program. This money would be used to help pay the test fees for low-income students and also to make pre-AP and AP courses more widely available. These programs all share the common goal of increasing the rigor of programs of study and thereby preparing students for success after graduation—whether they choose to go on to postsecondary study or go directly into the workforce.

"An important part of the American dream is to be able to go to college. No Child Left Behind is helping to strengthen the K-12 educational system so that students who want to continue with their studies at the post-secondary level will be prepared to do so. This legislation also ensures that students enter college prepared, are rewarded for their hard work, and get the financial assistance they need to make their college dreams a reality.

"I commend Reps. Burns and Keller for their efforts in introducing the Pell Grant Plus Act, and I look forward to working with Congress for passage of this measure and other legislative initiatives that increase access to higher education for disadvantaged students."

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