Remarks in a discussion at Southridge High School in Beaverton, Oregon

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, August 23, 2004

So I worked with Members of the Congress to pass new law that says: We'll increase funding for public schools; we'll increase funding for elementary and secondary schools by some 49 percent since I got there; we'll increase funding for Title I students by over 50 percent since I got there. But we also recognized that the issue is more than funding. The issue is results, and so we raised the standards. We said, "We expect accountability in our schools, to tell us whether or not children are learning to read and write and add and subtract."

We believe in local control of schools. When we find children in schools that won't change and won't teach, we demand something other than the status quo, and we're seeing great results. The achievement gap among students in America is beginning to close because we believe every child can learn.

I'm running because there's more to do to make sure we continue to raise the bar, to continue to insist on curricula that works. See, that's why you measure, because you want to know. You can't solve a problem unless you're willing to diagnose the problem in the first place. So we say to schools, "Show us early whether or not a child can read and write. And if not, there's extra help."

So that no child gets left behind, we've got to make sure our Head Start programs start children off early with the fundamentals of reading. We want to make sure our high school diplomas mean something. We need intervention programs for children who cannot read in junior high. We've got to be emphasizing math and science. What I'm telling you is, after 4 more years, the children of this country are going to be more hopeful, more confident, and have more of the skills necessary to succeed. And America will be better off for it.

Let me tell you what else we'll be better off to do. We'll be better off as we continue to rally the armies of compassion. You'll hear me talk about our military later on and our economy, but the strength of this country is in the hearts and souls of our citizens. That's the true strength of America. If you really think about it, you don't find it in the halls of Government; you find it in the hearts of people. And the President must understand that. And one of my most important jobs is to rally the armies of compassion, to call upon people to love their neighbor just like you would like to be loved yourself.

And so, today Chris Dudley has joined us. You might remember him because of his exploits on the basketball court. A lot of kids are going to remember him because of the basketball camp he set up. It's the kind of compassion I'm talking about. We couldn't pass a law to say to old Dudley, give back to the community where you're living. He had to feel that in his heart. He had to say, "This is a call that I hear." Laws don't do this--from Government. People hear a higher calling. And those of us in positions of responsibility must not only thank people like Chris but say that we're willing to open up Government funding to grants to organizations that exist because of their faith--all faith so that we can help save our society.