Remarks at Eden Prairie High School in Eden Prairie

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, March 11, 2002

Interestingly enough, now, about 35 States require new teachers to take an exit exam--an entrance exam into the teaching profession to make sure that they can pass the test in the subject they teach. Sometimes, the standard is so low that all you have to do is answer half the questions, and you're in. That doesn't make sense to me, and you know, it doesn't make sense to good teachers. Teachers want their profession to have the highest of high standards. And so in order to make sure every school has got a teacher, we're going to work with the States to make sure that the exit exams, those exams for teachers being--going into the teaching ranks, exiting college, have high standards, that they can pass a test in the subject they're going to teach, and that every teacher be licensed or certified.

Every public school teacher in America must demonstrate competence in his or her field of instruction. If we want to have a teaching profession that is held in high regard, we must have confidence in the teacher colleges and those coming into the teacher ranks that they can do the job expected of them. We owe it to the parents, and most of all, we owe it to the students.

We also understand what a good teacher can accomplish in a young life. Our new economy demands higher and higher skills, and good teachers provide those skills. But it's only one part of the teacher's job. Just as life is more than a race to the riches--and life should be more than a race to the riches--education is more than a search for skills. Look, you probably have already forgotten the isosceles triangle or photosynthesis. [Laughter] But hopefully you did learn how to try hard and how to work hard and how to take pride in your work, exactly what your teachers are teaching you. You learn to study, and you learn to communicate, and you learn to appreciate the living truth of history and literature. A good teacher instills a sense of your own possibilities, along with your willingness to respect other people.

We ask a lot of our teachers. We expect them to teach knowledge and skills. We expect them to welcome measurement and accountability. We expect them to have sound character, and we expect them to teach by example.

And the teachers have a right to expect certain things in return. They have a right to expect every child will come to school ready to learn and that good manners and respect for teachers will be taught at home. And that's the responsibility of moms and dads. After all, a parent is a child's first teacher. And when the children show up for school, they should already know the basics of good manners and good discipline.

Teachers are also entitled to expect some things from government. As we raise the expectations of our schools, we must give our schools the tools to succeed. As we ask more of our teachers, we must take their side. We must be their allies, and all of us, all around America, must give them the support they need to do their jobs.

My administration is supporting teachers in getting the training they need to raise educational standards. We have appropriated nearly $3 billion made available to States to recruit, to prepare, and to train teachers. That is more than a 35 percent increase over last year's budget. This is the greatest Federal commitment to quality teachers and principals. And it's important, and it's necessary if we're going to achieve the reforms inherent in the No Child Left Behind bill. Much of the training will focus on specific needs, like special education and math and science instruction and early reading.