Remarks at Moline Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Feb 26, 2001

February 20, 2001

Sarah, thanks for those kind words. And Chris, thank you very much. Now, what you forgot to say is what I can say, and that is, I believe and know that a school succeeds when there is a dynamic principal in charge of the school. And that's the case here at Moline. I also know it's important to have a superintendent of schools who is willing to push the bounds of excellence, and that's what you have in your superintendent of schools.

We're so honored that you would welcome us here. Laura and I are glad to be traveling to the great State of Missouri. I want to thank your senior Senator Kit Bond. I want to thank Congressman Clay. I want to thank Congressman Akin for your hospitality. And Governor, I'm so pleased you're here as well.

We put out an invitation to all the Governors to join us next Sunday night at the White House for dinner, and the Governor has agreed to come and eat some ribs. I think it is--[laughter]--maybe not ribs, but--but I appreciate so very much you taking time to be here today.

Boys and girls, thank you all, as well, for your hospitality. We had a chance to listen to some third graders read. They sound like sixth graders to us.

Let me talk a little policy, if you don't mind. There's a time for politics in our society, and that ended a while ago. Now is the time for good public policy, and it starts with the universal goal of every child being educated in America. That sounds like anybody would say that, but to me, it's an achievable goal.

There are some certain principles to which we need to adhere in order to meet that goal. First, setting the highest of high standards; understanding that all children can learn; not accepting excuses when certain children don't learn; not adhering to a system that shuffles children through because it's so much easier to quit as opposed to focus on a child-by-child basis. Good education starts with high standards, whether it be set by the President, the Governor, or the superintendent or the principal or the teacher in the classroom.

Secondly, I strongly believe in what we call local control of schools. I believe it's critically important for those of us in the Federal Government to align authority and responsibility where it belongs, and that is at the local level. There's the old statement, "One size fits all"--doesn't work when it comes to educating children. I fully subscribe to that.

You've got different issues, Governor, in the State of Missouri, than we had in the State of Texas. We have the same goals, the same objectives, the same heart, but you have a different set of problems. And therefore, it's incumbent upon us in the White House to work with Members of the Congress to pass Federal money back with as much flexibility as possible, to trust local people to set the course for excellence for all the children in the different school districts around the country.

Thirdly, accountability is critically important for--to meet the goal that no child will be left behind. it is incredibly important to measure, because without measuring, how do you know if a child is learning to read and write and add and subtract? How do you know? It seems like it's a fundamentally fair question for those of us in public life to ask. We're spending money; we'd like to know in return whether or not children are learning.

Now, I don't believe the Federal Government ought to design a test, Governor. I think you can design your own. You've certainly done so, at least in this school district; they've designed their own accountability system. It's an accountability system that's so impressive because it's not just a measurement on an annual basis, it's a frequent measurement to determine whether or not a specific child is learning. And if that child isn't, there's immediate help. When there's a problem diagnosed, help comes. That's what's so important about having accountability; it's the cornerstone for reform.

I'm going to ask Congress to pass legislation that says that any school district which receives Federal money must design a test on an annual basis so that we know. It's the framework for addressing problems early, before it's too late. It says that consequences matter, but more importantly, if we set up the systems right, by disaggregating results, by treating each child as a person, not part of some overall group, we begin to have an education system that says each child matters, and we're going to track each child as he or she goes through the system. It's a critically important part of education reform.

I believe we can do a better job of teaching children to read. One of the reasons we chose this school is not only because of the strong appetite for diagnosing children early and the willingness to cure problems before they become acute, but this is a school that focuses on a reading curriculum that works.

I hope it's said that the Bush administration is willing to ask the question, "What works?" and then helps districts implement programs that do work. Phonics works. It's an important part of a good reading--balanced reading curriculum. The reason I know is because I have asked the question to folks at the National Institute of Health. They're not Republicans; they're not Democrats; they're not--they are scientists, who have spent a lot of time figuring out how to make sure all children have the capacity to learn.