Remarks on signing the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 in Hamilton, Ohio

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Jan 14, 2002

January 8, 2002

The President. Thank you all very much. Audience members. U.S.A.! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

The President. Okay. I know you all are anxious to get back to class. [Laughter] So please be seated. [Laughter] Thank you for such a warm welcome. It's great to be in the home of the Big Blue, Hamilton High School. I want to thank you all for coming. I particularly want to thank my friend the Governor of the great State of Ohio, Governor Taft, for being here. I want to thank Tracey Miller for being so hospitable. I want to thank all who have come to witness this historic moment.

For those of you who have studied the history of our Government, you know most bills are signed at the White House. But I decided to sign this bill in one of the most important places in America, a public school.

We've got large challenges here in America. There's no greater challenge than to make sure that every child--and all of us on this stage mean every child, not just a few children--every single child, regardless of where they live, how they're raised, the income level of their family, every child receive a first-class education in America.

And as you know, we've got another challenge, and that's to protect America from evil ones. And I want to assure the seniors and juniors and sophomores here at Hamilton High School that the effort that this great country is engaged in, the effort to defend freedom and to defend our people, the effort to rout out terror wherever it exists, is noble and just and right, and your great country will prevail in this effort.

I long for peace. But I also understand that if we do not lead the world against terror, that your children and your grandchildren will not grow up in a society that is as free as the society we have today. Freedom is the precious gift that one generation can pass to the next. It is a gift and a promise that I intend to keep to the American children.

And we owe the children of America a good education. And today begins a new era, a new time in public education in our country. As of this hour, America's schools will be on a new path of reform and a new path of results.

Our schools will have higher expectations. We believe every child can learn. Our schools will have greater resources to help meet those goals. Parents will have more information about the schools and more say in how their children are educated. From this day forward, all students will have a better chance to learn, to excel, and to live out their dreams.

I want to thank the Secretary of Education, Rod Paige, for being here and for his leadership. I asked Rod to join my administration because I wanted somebody who understood what it meant to run a school district in Washington, DC. I didn't need somebody that based his knowledge on theory; I wanted somebody who based his knowledge on experience. And Rod was a teacher, a school board member, and the superintendent of the Houston Independent School District. He did a fine job there, and he's doing a fine job in Washington.

Reaching this moment has not been easy, as you could tell from Chairman Boehner's discussion. [Laughter] But we made it because of the willingness of four fine leaders to do what was right for America. We made it because proud Members of the House and the Senate, loyal to their parties, decided to set partisan politics aside and focus on what was right for America.

I want to thank George Miller. I call him Big George, Jorge el Grande. [Laughter] As John mentioned, George and I aren't from the same political ideology; except when I met with George in Austin, I could tell he shares the same passion I share for making sure that every child gets educated. And he, like me and others, realize that a system that simply shuffles children through the schools is a system that's going to leave people behind, and so we made up our minds right then and there to do something about it.

I appreciate so very much my friend Judd Gregg from the State of New Hampshire being here. He was my campaign manager in the New Hampshire primary. I still invited him to come with me. [Laughter] After here, we're going to New Hampshire. I look forward to singing Judd's praises because he is a solid, solid United States Senator, honest, full of integrity, and like the others here, he buckled down to do what was right for the children.

And then, of course, there's Senator Edward Kennedy. And the folks at the Crawford coffee shop--[laughter]--would be somewhat shocked when I told them I actually like the fellow. [Laughter] He is a fabulous United States Senator. When he's against you, it's tough; when he's with you, it is a great experience.

And I'm signing this bill here because it's the home of the chairman, John Boehner. John did a really good job. He shepherded the process. He made sure people showed up for the meetings. He was dogged in his determination to get this bill done. It would not have happened without his leadership. And all four of these Members up here need to be proud of the legacy they have left behind. This is a good bill for the American children, and I'm proud to sign it in their presence.