Remarks at Moline Elementary School in St. Louis, Missouri

Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, Feb 26, 2001

And while there needs to be balanced reading curriculum, it is critically important for us to make sure the curriculum employed around the country is a curriculum that actually will achieve the results that we want, and that is children reading by the third grade.

So I'm sending up to Congress a proposal called Reading First. It is a $5 billion program over 5 years. It will triple the amount of reading money available for local districts to access. It says that inherent in any good program is the need for districts to develop a K-through-two diagnostic tool; that is, a simple tool that will enable K-through-two teachers to determine who needs help early.

There will be money involved in the reading program to help retrain teachers on how to teach a curriculum that works. One of the things that we must recognize in our society, Governor, is that sometimes our teacher colleges do not--are not able to match the hearts of teachers and give them the skills necessary to be effective teachers. There needs to be a lot of retraining, unfortunately. And until the teacher colleges get it right in terms of teaching curriculum that works, it seems like to me, a useful role for Government is to provide funds for teacher retraining. I'm not saying all teacher colleges fail. You would probably argue with me here that Missouri teacher colleges don't fail. But sometimes you find teachers in classrooms who have got all heart but lack the skills necessary to understand the science of reading. And it is incumbent upon us to match the heart and skills together.

We need to make sure that our Head Start Programs not only fulfill the social functions and the health functions that they do today but that Head Start Programs become, first and foremost, a reading program to give the little guys the skills necessary to be able to come to these elementary schools prepared and ready to take advantage of the programs that these fine elementary schools, like this one, have got and offer for children.

And finally, in order to make sure that a reading program works, there needs to be a strong emphasis on curriculum to help districts decide what curriculum to choose, what curriculum will work.

I am absolutely convinced that we can do a better job of teaching all children to read, because I start with the thought that all children can learn to read. I refuse to accept systems, and refuse not to challenge systems, that give up on children early.

I came from a State where there was a lot of children whose parents did not speak English as their first language. It was much easier to say, "Gosh, these little kids are too difficult to educate. Let's just move them through." Those days are unacceptable. That frame of mind is not right for America, and we can do a better job. It starts with putting trust where it belongs.

Madam Superintendent, I promise you, I know where the great educational entrepreneurship of America lay, and it lay right here, in districts such as this one, and schools such as this one. It's trust in local people--it starts with trusting local people to make the right decisions. It's a system that is--in its framework, encourages reform when reform is needed, and rewards excellence when excellence is found.