President Bush Visits Butterfield Junior High in Van Buren, Arkansas
Remarks by the President on the No Child Left Behind Act
Butterfield Junior High School
Van Buren, Arkansas
10:45 A.M. CDT
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you all very much. Thanks for coming. I
appreciate it. Go ahead and be seated. Thanks for coming. Todd,
thanks for having us. (Laughter.) That story he told reminds me of
the time when I had just got elected governor of Texas, and a friend of
mine said, why don't you call old Bascom Bentley on the phone? He's an
East Texas guy. And he said, why don't you call Bascom Bentley on the
phone and just wish him the best. So I picked up the phone and dialed
old Judge Bentley. He's one of these East Texas judges -- you probably
know the kind I'm talking about here in Arkansas. (Laughter.) I said,
"Judge, this is George W. Bush calling." He said, "Come on, Cliff,
quit pulling my leg." (Laughter.)
So, Todd, I understand how those phone calls can go. (Laughter.)
But we are serious about coming here because Butterfield Junior High is
a place of academic achievement. That's why I'm here. It's a place --
(applause.) I'm here to congratulate this school and to hold you up as
an example to the country. You're raising the bar. You see, this is a
school that expects the best for every student. You're reaching for
high standards, and more importantly, you're making progress toward
meeting those standards. You're doing your job.
I know the school year ends on May 27th. And I bet some of the
students are kind of looking forward to that date. (Laughter.) As a
matter of fact, I remember the feeling, myself. But summer vacation
has got to feel better for you after a year of accomplishment. And
this past year, students at Butterfield have accomplished a lot.
Not only am I here to hold up the school and talk about setting
high standards and making sure people achieve those standards, I'm here
also to thank the teachers and the staff members and the parents, who
believe in the potential of every young person, and are willing to work
hard to make sure every young person achieves that potential.
(Applause.)
Not only do we want to thank Todd for being a principal; it turns
out that really good schools have got really good principals, people
that are smart and capable and who believe the best. But really good
principals also have got hardworking staffs, and I know how hard it is
to welcome the President. Take a look at those light fixtures -- I
don't -- I'm not sure if that's a permanent part -- (laughter) -- of
the gymnasium. But for all those who put on this event and put up with
my entourage, I thank you for letting me come by.
I appreciate your Governor showing up. He's a good friend of
mine. He's an excellent person -- Mike Huckabee is with us today.
(Applause.) In case you don't recognize him -- (laughter) -- I'm proud
of Mike. He said, look, I'm going to set an example by taking care of
my own body before I ask others to do the same. He's exercising and
he's eating smart, and his health is a lot better for it.
I appreciate Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller joining us, as well.
Thank you, Governor. (Applause.) I'm proud to be able to work with a
really fine member of Congress from this district, in John Boozman.
Where are you, John? Yes, there he is. (Applause.) I know Cathy and
Kristen and Lauren are here, as well -- his wife Cathy, and two
daughters. I'm glad you all are here. The only problem I've got with
Boozman is he keeps talking about the Arkansas-Texas game. (Laughter
and applause.) I know it, I shouldn't have brought it up. (Laughter.)
I appreciate Dr. Merle Dickerson, who is the Superintendent of the
Van Buren School District. Merle, thank you for your hospitality;
thank you for your leadership. I appreciate so very much --
(applause.) I know the importance of a good school superintendent.
See, when it came time to name the Secretary of Education, I picked a
superintendent in Rod Paige. He was the superintendent of the Houston
Independent School District. I saw him in action in implementing
policies that raise standards and encourage the best for every
student. So I know the importance of a good superintendent. And I
appreciate you, Merle.
Ray Simon is with us today. Where are you, Ray? Oh, there you
go. (Applause.) Blending in nicely. (Applause.) Ray is the
Assistant Secretary for Elementary and Secondary Education. He's the
former director of the Arkansas Department of Education. He works for
Rod Paige. In other words, what I'm telling you is we pick good people
to staff the federal offices, people who understand the principles of
the No Child Left Behind Act, which I'm about to describe to you.
I appreciate Ken James, the Director of the Arkansas Department of
Education. Thank you for coming, Ken. (Applause.) Mayor John Riggs
is with us. Where are you, Mr. Mayor? (Applause.) Mr. Mayor, I'm
glad you're here. People give me advice all the time, so sometimes I
like to give people advice. And, Mr. Mayor, my only advice to you is,
fill the potholes. (Laughter and applause.)
I want to thank the Junior High Trailblazers for hosting me today.
I appreciate the students letting us come on your campus. I hope you
don't mind having the classes cancelled for a while today. (Laughter.)
I also met Alyse Eady today. Where are you, Alyse? There she is.
Alyse, thanks for coming. (Applause.) Let me tell you about Alyse.
She's a sophomore at Southside High, and she is a tutor at the Boys and
Girls Club. The reason I bring up Alyse, is because I want to remind
everybody here what the strength of this country is.
Now, a lot of people talk about the military being the strength of
this country, and I see we've got some fine troops here. (Applause.)
Thanks for coming. And the military is an important part of our
strength. As a matter of fact, we're counting on the military in
theaters overseas to make us more secure. We're counting on brave men
and women to help spread freedom in parts of the world that desperately
need freedom. We're counting on our military to make America more
secure by spreading peace.
And that's what you're seeing right now. On your TV screens,
you're seeing tough work, because there are people who can't stand the
thought of free societies springing up in the middle -- in the midst of
hatred and violence in the Middle East. But our troops are making
sacrifices for our short-term and long-term security -- a peaceful
Iraq, a free Iraq, which is going to happen, will make America more
secure. (Applause.)
Part of our strength is the military. I intend to keep the
military strong. Our men and women are going to have what it needs to
keep the peace. (Applause.) Part of a strong America is a prosperous
America. That's part of our strength. It's not the strength. It's
part of the reason we're strong and we'll keep our prosperity strong.
But the real strength of America is in the hearts and souls of our
citizens, and that's important for our -- our country to understand.
The true strength of this country happens when people hear the
universal call to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be loved
themselves. And here is a 10th grader in high school, who's heard that
call, has taken time out of her life to mentor and tutor children who
may not have as much love in their life as she has had because of her
mom and dad, Lewis and Lady. (Applause.)
My call to the citizens of this country, whether they be in Fort
Smith, Arkansas or Van Buren, Arkansas, or anywhere else in the
country, is to take time out of your life and follow your heart and
help somebody who hurts: feed the hungry, provide shelter for the
homeless, surround somebody with love who wonders whether or not their
future is bright. No, the strength of this country, as witnessed by
this young soldier in the army of compassion, is the heart and soul of
the American people. (Applause.)
And another part of the strength of America is the fact we've got a
lot of teachers who care deeply about the students. The students --
(applause) -- it's probably going to take the students a little while
to appreciate the teachers. (Laughter.) But I think when you look
back, you're going to find out these people are some of the most
important people you'll ever have in your life. And I'm not saying
that just because I married a teacher. (Laughter.) By the way, Laura
is doing fabulous. She's a -- (applause).
The teachers here need to know that our nation appreciates every
man and woman who devotes a lifetime to building knowledge and
character of the young people of this country. Teaching is one of the
great callings, one of the most noble professions, and America deeply
appreciates the service of America's teachers. For those of you who
are a teacher at this school, thank you for what you do. (Applause.)
I'm here today to talk about making sure our schools work. A
little over two years ago, I signed into law an historic, bipartisan
act of Congress called the No Child Left Behind Act. And the theory of
this law was straightforward. And here's what it said -- it said: The
federal government is spending more money on education, but for the
first time, we're asking for results. That's a change. In the past,
we used to send checks from Washington. And by the way, Washington
should not be primary funder of schools in America. That's up to the
states and the local people. (Applause.)
But we had targeted money, particularly for the poorer students.
And we helped to send the checks, and we just hoped something good
happened. That was the old way -- here's your money, and maybe
something positive will happen. Now we're sending the checks, and
we're asking the question, are the children learning to read and write
and add and subtract? That's not that tough a question, is it? It
seems like it makes sense for taxpayers' money -- in return for
taxpayers' money, to determine whether or not we're meeting some basic
goals. If you don't ask the question, you never find out the answer.
If you don't say, we're sending you more money, now please show us
whether or not a child can read. If you don't ask, you'll never know
until it's too late, until it's too late. (Applause.)
As well, we better figure out who needs help early before it's too
late. I mean, one of the reasons you ask the question, can you read or
write and add and subtract, is you want to diagnose early. You can't
solve a problem unless you diagnose it. The importance of the No Child
Left Behind Act is to find out who needs help.
And so, we've left behind an old attitude. See, I think some
schools -- there was this attitude that certain students can't learn.
And so this -- might as well shuffle them on from grade to grade. It's
easy to shuffle the so-called -- what they call, hard-to-educate
students through the system. It's easy to quit on families who might
live in inner-cities, or rural areas. It's easy to quit on kids whose
parents don't speak English as a first language. It's easy, but it is
not fair. And that's not how we do things in the United States of
America. (Applause.)
I believe every child can learn. That's what I believe. And so do
the people here at this school. So we've raised the standards for
every public school. We're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of
low expectations. We're -- we require testing in the basics, and
holding schools accountable for results. An accountability system is
how you determine whether or not what you're doing in the classrooms is
working.
Under the new law, when children are falling behind, the schools
that need the most attention get extra help, extra money, so the
children can catch up. Let me repeat what I just said. Under the new
law, when we discover that children are falling behind, that are not
meeting standards, those schools get extra help, extra money to make
sure that people are brought up to the standards. Schools will have
time to improve. They will be able to use the accountability system to
determine if they have the right curricula. Sometimes schools use the
wrong curriculum. Sometimes they think this kind of reading program
works, when, in fact, it doesn't. And they must have times to adjust.
But at some point, there has to be an end to mediocrity. (Applause.)
The attitude in this bill says, no child should be trapped in a
school that does not teach and will not change. In other words, there
is time to change. (Applause.) There is time to change, but if you
refuse to change, and somebody is still trapped in the school that is
not meeting standards, then something has to happen. Parents need
options to help their child. Federal dollars will follow the child.
For example, if a school -- a child is trapped in a school for
several years that is -- that's not meeting standards, the federal
government will pay for after-school tutoring, and the parent can
choose all kind of tutoring options, whether they be public or
private. One parent -- a parent can send the school -- a child to a
different public school. In other words, when -- there has to be
accountability in order for a -- I mean, there has to be a consequence
in order for an accountability system to work. When schools do not
improve year after year, without consequences, we will not see change.
That's just a fact of life.
And so the new law says, you've got time to meet the standards,
which we have raised. You've got time to improve. But because there's
now consequences, parents will have more say in their child's
education. And that's important, because we want parents to be at the
center of the education system in America. We want our parents more
involved. There's no better way to get parents involved than by
publishing test results for each school. Think about this -- first of
all, under the old system, a lot of parents believed their local
schools were doing just fine because that's what they were told. Oh,
don't worry, Johnnie is doing just fine, our school is, too. But they
never measured.
And sometimes, that wasn't the case. Now parents don't have to
take anybody's word for it. They can see the results themselves. An
accountability system says, we'll measure, but we're going to post the
results for everybody to see. If they see excellence, just like at
this school, it will give solid ground to thank the teachers and the
principals for doing the job we expect. (Applause.) But if they see
failure, like any good parent, they're going to want to know why. Why
can't my school be like Butterfield? What is it about our school that
doesn't match the performance of Butterfield Junior High? In other
words, an accountability system, when properly used, will help people
achieve a greater standards and will encourage more parental
involvement.
Now, let me make sure you understand one thing: I strongly believe
in local control of schools. I believe firmly -- (applause.) There
is a difference between asking the question about whether or not a
child is learning, and insisting that teachers and principals are free
to -- are free to teach the way they see fit. Superintendents and
school boards are free to make change where they see change is
necessary.
The No Child Left Behind Act raises expectations, but leaves
control where it belongs, at the local level. See, you can't provide
people excuses. There's no better excuse than saying, I would have
done it this way, but the federal government told me to do it this
way. I fully understand that. In order to make sure that there is an
accountability system that works, you not only measure, but you then
say to people, it's up to you to chart the path to excellence. You
don't want federal bureaucrats who you've never seen in Crawford
County, Arkansas making the decision for the classrooms in county --
Crawford County, Arkansas. You need local control of schools so people
who are making those decisions are accountable to the parents and the
local citizens. (Applause.)
For more than two years we've been putting the new reforms into
action. All 50 states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico,
have now drawn up plans to measure performance in every school. Notice
-- they drew up the plans. See, the state of Arkansas drew up its
accountability plans. People in Puerto Rico decided the accountability
system to use. This isn't a federal test; the local people, the state
people made the decision as to how to measure. And every state is
reporting the information to the parents.
And we're seeing progress. Let me tell you the facts. The test
scores for 4th grade math around the nation went up 9 points between
the years 2000 and 2003. See, I'm able to tell you that because we
measure. If we hadn't measured, I couldn't tell you that. Eighth
graders improved by 5 points in the same period. In other words, math
scores are beginning to go up. Still too low, but they're heading
toward higher standards. Reading scores for 4th graders increased in
the vast majority of states that tested between 1998 and 2003,
including the state of Arkansas. See, your reading scores are going up
here.
I'll never forget the day a woman looked at me -- she's an African
American friend of mine -- and she said, you've got to understand
something, Governor Bush -- at the time -- reading is the new civil
right. See, if you can't read, you can't realize the great promise of
America. That's why we want every child reading. The good news is the
reading scores are going up.
Since 2000, average math scores in Arkansas went up 13 points in
4th grade, and 9 points in 8th grade. By the way, that's higher than
the national average. (Applause.)
Things are happening in the country. When you raise the bar and
you hold people to account, it's amazing the results you can get. And
that's incredibly positive. Here at Butterfield Junior High, you have
every reason to be proud. In 2003, this school met the adequate yearly
progress standard expected under No Child Left Behind. In other words,
the state put out a set of criterion and measurement standards, and you
met it, right here at this school.
Let me tell you what Traci Sellers said. Is Traci here, by the
way? Probably not. Traci -- I'm about to quote you. (Laughter.)
She's an English teacher. She said, "The No Child Left Behind makes us
aware of what we're doing and how we can improve. It encourages us as
teachers to go that extra step, so that every child can succeed." I
appreciate your attitude. I appreciate your hope. (Applause.)
Think about what she said -- "it makes us aware of what we're
doing." In other words, are we doing the right thing; are we meeting
expectations? Am I doing my job, she says, and the accountability
system helps me understand whether I am or not. She said, how can I
improve. What a fantastic attitude. Here's a teacher who loves her
children, says, I want to make sure I'm doing the job, and if not, I
want to figure out how to do the job better.
That's why you have an accountability system. It says, it
encourages us. In other words, instead of being discouraged by the
system, it encourages. That's not the way everybody feels in America.
There are people that don't like to change, and there are some
complaints that I'd like to address today. Let me first by telling
you, I think it's easier to make excuses sometimes than needed
improvements. That's just human nature, isn't it? But the problem is
we don't need people making excuses for educational failures in
America. We need change.
When it comes to testing, I've heard every excuse in the book. I
bet the Governor has, too. See, we put strong accountability measures
in when I was the governor of Texas, and I went around the state
explaining it. And then the No Child Left Behind brought an avalanche
of complaints, as well. Some object to regular testing because they
believe schools will just teach the test -- that's what you hear. I'm
sure you've heard it. Well, think about that for a minute. If a test
measures basic knowledge, the basics in math or reading, then teaching
the test means you're teaching a child the basic knowledge of reading
and math. (Applause.)
In other words, for a child to pass a reading test, you had better
understand how to read. And therefore, in order to help the child pass
the test, they've got to know how to read in the first place. And the
reading accountability systems help people determine whether or not the
child has got the basic tools necessary to be a good reader. That's
what we're talking about here.
The whole point is this: It is not enough to hope that students
are learning. I mean, that's just, to me, an excuse why not to
measure. We need to know the ones who are learning and the ones who
are not learning. Some believe that the standards of No Child Left
Behind are too high. They say that if you raise expectations, all
you're doing is setting up children to fail. Yet this law requires
students to perform at grade level, which doesn't seem like it's too
high a bar to cross.
I mean, we're asking children to read at 3rd grade level if you're
in the 3rd grade. Why is that raising expectations too high? I mean,
my goodness, that's what society should expect. If you want the kids
to learn to read at grade level, then you better insist they learn to
read at grade level. That's the standard that is important. And it's
the standard that we must hold true to if we want to make sure every
child has a chance to succeed in our great country.
Teachers and parents here today know this when it comes to
standards: If you expect nothing from a child, if you expect low -- if
you have low standards for every child, don't be surprised at what you
get. That's a fact of life. When you have high expectations, children
have a way of rising to meet those expectations. High standards do not
set children on a path to failure; high standards set our children on
the path to success. (Applause.)
Other critics say it is unfair to measure the performance of
minority groups, and unfair to require schools to improve the scores
amongst all groups. That's a complaint you hear. These critics say we
shouldn't fault a whole school just because some African American or
Spanish students are not progressing. They're missing the -- the
people who say that missed the entire purpose of the law, and that is,
to make sure that no child of any background is left behind. See,
that's the purpose of this law.
The reason we measure success and problems group by group -- that's
what's called disaggregating data. In other words, we want to know --
we don't want to look at the school as a whole; we want to look at the
people in the school. And that's the difference. We want to look at
the data based upon individuals. We want to know student performance.
See, you've got to make sure the schools are serving every student. So
in other words, when you look at the school as a whole, you don't know
whether or not certain children are being left behind. You don't know
whether certain children need extra help.
And there's an achievement gap here in America today that we've got
to close. There's an achievement gap between the test scores of white
and minority students. Nationally, on reading tests, black and
Hispanic 4th graders score at least 26 percentage points lower than
white students in the same grade. We've got to do something about
that. If we want this country to be a hopeful country for every
citizen, if we want to make sure every person can realize the American
Dream, we've got to close this gap. And what the accountability system
-- they'll help us close that gap by determining who needs help. We
want America to be promising for every single child of every background
so that not one single child in America is left behind. (Applause.)
Another claim is that under the new law, we're punishing schools
that are not making progress. See, sometimes when you change, people
are quick to criticize. And one of the complaints is that schools get
punished that aren't making progress. But people who make that claim
ought to read the law. The truth is, the lowest-performing schools are
getting extra money to improve. That's what -- that's the truth.
In 2003, we spent $234 million to assist underperforming schools to
make sure people aren't left behind. In other words, we said, here's a
problem, and here's some extra money to help you fix it. In 2004,
we'll at least double that amount. In other words, the federal
government is saying, measure, and, oh, by the way, when we find
mediocrity, we'll help. But the local people have got to change.
You've got to change what you're doing in order to make sure that
children can learn. We expect schools to do their job and we're
helping them do their job.
We also understand it can take some time to get there. Some say
the No Child Left Behind Act doesn't provide enough money to meet our
goals. First, let me tell you again what I said: It's the primary
responsibility of the state and local governments to fund schools, not
the federal government. But the additional testing required by the law
-- in other words, the federal government did say, okay, you've got to
test in return for money. We're helping to pay for the tests. People
say, well, it's an unfunded mandate to put accountability systems in
place. No, the accountability systems are largely funded by the
federal government.
Second, if my 2005 budget is enacted, federal spending on
elementary and high school education will have increased by 49 percent
since 2001. In Arkansas, that's an extra $112 million federal dollars
for your public schools compared to 2001. (Applause.)
Nationwide, since 2001, we've already increased funding for
low-income schools, under Title I -- that's the money for the poorest
of students -- by 41 percent. That will rise to 52 percent if Congress
approves my budget, which would mean an additional $37 million to help
people in this state.
In other words, we're doing our duty. We understand that people
need extra help when it comes time to addressing problems early, before
they're too late. And the federal government is responding. And I
also want to remind you that we've done another thing -- and Laura is
very much involved with this. We've kicked off a major initiative to
make sure our children can read at grade level by the 3rd grade. We
have quadrupled federal funding since 2001 for America's reading
programs -- by the way, making sure that when we fund programs, that
they used -- that they use scientifically-based programs, reading --
not programs that sound like they might work, but programs which
actually do work in teaching the children of America how to read.
This No Child Left Behind Act is a good law. It's a good, solid
law. But I understand some adjustments need to be made, even in the
best laws. So we've listened to schools and teachers, and we're
responding in practical ways. We're making sure that the progress of
special ed students is judged by standards appropriate to their
development. In other words, as you measure a special ed student,
there must be some flexibility in the measurement standards. And we
know that.
We're giving schools more time to bring students who don't speak
English as a first language into the accountability system. If a
fellow shows up at school and can't speak Spanish -- I mean English --
and only speaks Spanish, they need some time to learn the language
before they become a part of the accountability system. They don't
need a lifetime of learning, but there needs to be some flexibility in
the accountability systems.
We're giving schools in rural areas more latitude in meeting
teacher qualification standards. In other words, we're flexible in the
application of the law. Yet I will never compromise on this goal:
Every child can learn the basics, and every school must teach the
basics. (Applause.)
A lot of the No Child Left Behind Act is -- focuses on early
grades, and that's good. In other words, my attitude is, and I think
the attitude of the experts is, when we get it right early in the
grades and stay focused, we're going to have a bunch of kids getting
into high school who are literate, smart and capable.
But right now we've got some people that need help when it comes to
reading. I mean, there have been some kids that have been shuffled
through that are now in high school, and they're struggling to learn
how to read. And we'd better get it right now, before they get out.
And so I'm asking Congress to pass $100 million Striving Reading
Initiative, intensive intervention in children's lives who cannot read,
before they get out of high school. It's an essential part -- I mean,
that's the minimum we can do. That's the basic part of making sure
that a child has hope.
We'll use resources to help the school districts to train teachers
so they can get the right kind of help and use a curriculum that
works. I mean, there are good curriculum that cam work. The school
districts need the help of implementing those curriculum, and that's
what this money will be for.
I also proposed a $120 million increase for the Mathematics and
Science Partnership Program. In other words, we want to make sure kids
can read; we also want to make sure they can do math and science. But
we've got some new jobs that are being created that require new skill
sets, and it's not good enough to shuffle kids out of the schools that
don't know anything about math and science. And so the creation of
these partnerships will help school districts set up effective math and
science programs.
I believe that in every school we ought to continue to raise the
bar, and one way to do so is to make sure that the Advanced Placement
Programs are vibrant and active across our country. Right here at
Butterfield, you offer pre-8 AP courses, which is good -- preparing
these children to take advanced placement. Advance placement means
you're raising the bar as high as you can possibly go.
I proposed increasing money from the federal government, double the
current amount we spend, for teacher training, to help good-hearted
teachers become AP teachers. And I full recognize, as well, there are
some low-income students. When they go home and say, look, I'm getting
ready to take the AP exam, and the mother or father say, how much does
it cost, and they lay out the cost of the AP exam. The mother or dad
says, no, I think we'll use the money for something else, see. So the
child prepares to take the AP, and then mom or dad look at the fund --
look at the cost, they say, no, we'd like for you to take the AP exam,
but we need this money for rent or food. The federal government ought
to help low-income students pay for the fee so they can take the AP
exam. We want to be raising the bar for every student and the entry
fee should not be an excuse. (Applause.)
One of the things we need to do is encourage math and science
professionals from the private sector to teach part-time in our high
schools. And so we've got what's called the Adjunct Teacher Corps,
which is a neat program, when you think about it. We've got somebody
here in Fort Smith, Arkansas who's an engineer. They may have -- he or
she may have worked for awhile, and they may be retired, and the school
district --
I don't know -- I don't know if the high school principal is
looking for a science teacher or not, he may be. But it makes sense to
have -- to encourage citizens to get back in the classroom as a second
career, to lend their talents.
You've got what you call a State Scholars Program here in
Arkansas. Governor, thanks for implementing it. It's an initiative
that we announced here two years ago, which brings businesses and
college officials in the middle and -- middle schools and high schools
to encourage students to take a more demanding course work load.
In other words, when you get -- people can get inspired to take
tougher courses, we ought to try to do so. The program is raising the
completion rates in algebra II and chemistry and physics among Arkansas
high school students. In other words, you've got more students now
taking algebra II and chemistry and physics, and that's going to
benefit your state.
See, when you've got people with those skills getting out of high
school, and somebody is looking to put a business here, they can say,
look at this -- look at the base of knowledge amongst people that we
can employ in this state. People are likely to bring work here if the
potential work force has got the basics in math and science.
And that's what you're doing. I want to expand the State Scholars
Program nationwide, just like we've done here in Arkansas. It's
effective. It works. And there ought to be incentives to encourage
students. And one way to do so, is to give those students who finish a
State Scholars Program a boost in their Pell Grant scholarship.
In other words, we're saying to kids in high school, reach higher;
here's some people to help you reach higher, some local college folks
or business people. And by the way, when you take a tougher course
load and pass, you get additional scholarship money from the Pell
Grant. We've expanded Pell Grants. I want to enrich them to encourage
students to reach for the stars.
So I've sent a proposal to Congress where they would receive an
additional $1,000 during each of their first two years of college.
This will help 4,000 Arkansas seniors a year. This will provide
incentive for people to say, I want to do a better job in high school.
What I'm here to tell you is, I understand that public education is
essential to the future of this country. It's essential we get it
right. (Applause.)
I'm here at Butterfield because I understand a good school is the
gateway to hope. And we want that gate open all across America.
(Applause.) After decades of missed opportunities, after missing
chances to make sure every child has got -- got the basics to succeed,
we finally reformed the public schools of America. It took a lot of
work. It took a lot of work to convince people that change is needed.
But Congress -- listen, we passed a bill. Let me tell you
something, when you get a "yes" vote from both senators of Arkansas and
both senators from Texas and both senators from Massachusetts, you've
got yourself a bipartisan piece of legislation. (Applause.) And we're
not backing down. I don't care how much pressure they try to put on
the process. I'm not changing my mind about high standards and the
need for accountability, because I know the promise that holds out for
the -- (applause.)
We're not going back to those days where we just kind of hope
something happens. We're not going back to the days where kids just
got moved through and they weren't sure whether or not they could read,
and at the end of the system, they said, oops, they can't read. Those
day were too pessimistic for me, and they don't represent the great
values of the United States of America. See, we believe in the dignity
of every human being. We believe in the worth of every child. We're
optimistic people. We believe in raising the standards. We believe in
giving schools the resources and flexibility they need. We have begun
a new era in public education for the good of the United States of
America. (Applause.)
I better quit before some of us fall out. (Laughter.) I know it.
When you get the President, and he blows a lot of hot air --
(laughter.) But I do want to thank you for your hospitality. I want to
thank the people of this good school for believing in -- believing in
the best, for having such a clear vision about what's possible, about
believing in the worth of every child. I want to thank the teachers.
I appreciate your love and compassion. I want to thank you for never
settling for mediocrity, for always aiming high.
I want to thank the citizens who are here, the moms and dads. By
the way, a child's first teacher is a mother or a father. That's the
first teacher a child has. (Applause.) I like to remind people that
we need to promote a culture of personal responsibility in America that
starts with -- moms and dads understand, they're responsible for loving
their child with all their heart. (Applause.)
And by the way, a part of that personal responsibility society is
one that says, if you've got a problem with the school in the community
in which you live, you do something about it. See? You don't rely on
some far away government to take care of it. Do something about it.
(Applause.)
Part of the responsibility era says if you're a CEO in corporate
America, you're responsible for telling the truth to your shareholders
and your employees. (Applause.) And finally, a responsibility society
is one in which each of us loves our neighbor just like we'd like to be
loved ourself.
It's such an honor to be here at Butterfield, in Van Buren,
Arkansas. I'm proud to be here. Thanks for coming out to say hello.
May God bless you all, and may God continue to bless the United States
of America. (Applause.)