For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
January 25, 2001
Remarks by the President to Students and Faculty at Merritt Elementary School
Merritt Elementary School Washington, D.C.
10:30 A.M. EST
THE PRESIDENT: It's always a good sign when the principal gets a
standing ovation -- (laughter) -- from teachers and parents.
Having spent
some quality time with you, I now understand why.
First, Mr. Superintendent, thank you very much. Your reputation
is a strong one, because you believe every child can learn, and are
willing
to work hard and make the tough decisions to make sure every child does
learn in the District. Mr. Superintendent, thanks for coming.
I am so pleased and honored that the Chairman of the Senate
Education Committee and the Ranking Minority Leader, Senator Jeffords
and
Senator Kennedy are here; Chairman Boehner, Representative Miller came
as
well. You all did not have to come. And for you to come is
not only a
great honor for this school, but Laura and I really appreciate it.
I'm also pleased the First Lady is here. (Applause.) I
always
used to say, you can always judge the nature of a man by the company he
keeps. (Laughter.) And I keep pretty darn good company --
(laughter) --
particularly when it comes to children and reading and education.
She is a
former public school librarian who loves children, who loves books, and
has
got the ability to combine the two. And I love her.
(Applause.)
Dr. Shannon, thanks for coming. Those of us who have been
involved with public education know this irrefutable fact, that the
quality
of a school depends on the quality of a principal. That when you
find a
good principal, the CEO of a school, you'll find a school that achieves
what we all want, every child learning.
And there are some basic principles involved. One is to have
leadership not only at the district level, but at the school level, set
the
highest of high standards. Leaders that understand that every
child can
learn, and refuse to accept excuses when they don't. Dr. Shannon
believes
that way. She asked a question, why aren't our children
achieving? And
when they begin to achieve, she raises the bar. That's what a
leader does.
Secondly, and the reason we've come to Merritt, besides getting
out of the White House -- (laughter) -- is to herald what happens
inside
the walls here. And what happens here is there is a strong sense
of
accountability, which means there is a strong sense of the possible.
Accountability is so important. And by accountability I mean
testing
children to determine whether or not children are learning. I
believe it's
the cornerstone of reform. I believe it's the essence of excellence in
education. And I believe it's important to do so, to test every
year, to
make sure children are not left behind.
I worry about a system that doesn't test, because I have to
question, like Dr. Shannon's question, how do you know if you don't.
I
worry about a system that periodically tests, because one year, you may
test and everything is fine. In four years, you measure again,
and all of
a sudden something isn't fine, and you've missed four years of
opportunity
to make sure a child doesn't slip behind.
Accountability is important for students. It's important for --
and I know students don't like to take tests, and I'm confident the
parents
here heard the same thing Laura and I heard when our daughters went to
Austin High School, were sick of tests. And my answer was, well,
I'm sorry
you're sick of it, but we want to know. We, the adults, want to
know
whether or not you're learning, because if you're not, we expect
something
else to happen. So it's important for children to take tests so
they can
tell how they stand.
It's important for parents. There's a lot of discussion about
parental involvement. Senator Kennedy asked a very good question
-- how is
parental involvement? I thought the principal gave a very good
answer.
But there's no better way to encourage parental involvement than to
diagnose, on a child-by- child basis, where a child stands.
There's no
better way to get a parent's attention than for a principal to send the
word, well, we're having a little trouble with your child. We
want your
child to succeed.
The worst thing that can happen from a parent's perspective is
that there be no information. The worst thing that can happen is
that the
parents think everything is fine. Well, my child may have passed
a test in
the 3rd grade, but there's been no measurement in the 4th, 5th or 6th,
so I
will just assume as a parent that everything is fine, and then wake up
and
realize things aren't fine. To me, that's a shame when and if our
systems
do that to parents.
And, finally, measurement is important for management and
teachers. First, I want to thank the teachers. Teaching is
a noble
profession. We need more teachers. And one of the jobs that
Laura is
going to take on -- and I certainly I hope I can, too -- is to
encourage
youngsters to become teachers. That means, of course, safe
classrooms. It
means making sure teachers can teach a curriculum that works.
There's nothing better then combining the love of a teacher with
the talent and tools necessary to make sure children learn. But
it also
means convincing teachers of the importance and power of
accountability. A
good teacher welcomes accountability, because a good teacher
understands
that measurement for success. A good teacher will be able to see
in real
stark terms the fruits of his or her labor. A good teacher is
somebody who
says, give me a chance to succeed, and I can prove I can succeed.
There's a lot of people in our society who fear accountability.
Dr. Shannon, when asked by one of the members of the congressional
delegation about accountability, she said, at first people were afraid
of
accountability. And I can understand that. If you haven't
been held
accountable, and all of a sudden somebody starts holding you
accountable,
it's going to create a certain sense of anxiety. But I suspect
she'll
testify to this fact, that once the accountability measures came in
place,
once people got used to what it meant to be -- that accountability is
not a
tool to punish, but a tool to reward, and a tool necessary to correct
deficiencies, it's a positive tool, it's a positive application, then
people begin to accept the importance of a strong measurement system.
So we're here to applaud leadership and teachers, and we're here
to applaud a school and a district that has got a vision -- a vision of
high standards and strong measurement systems. A school that not
only
measures, but when it finds deficiency, corrects. A school that
recognizes
an accountability will work when you view each child as a child, not as
some group -- part of a group. Accountability system says every
child
matters, and when we find a child deficient, we're going to correct.
Some say the accountability systems tend to restrict curriculum,
that all the school will do is teach the test. This school proves
that's
not the case. This school focuses on basic education in reading
and math.
And by the way, they've got a fabulous curriculum for reading, one that
works.
But this school also is a school that enriches beyond the basics
of reading and math. It's a school that's got a curriculum that
is focused
on basic education, but it's a school also that understands the
importance
of the arts; it's a school that broadens the horizons of the students.
We're here to tout excellence and to thank -- to thank the good
folks in this institution, inside this building who love our children
and
are willing to put their love into practice in a system that works.
So, Dr. Shannon, thank you very much for having us. We're so
honored to be here. Again I want to thank the members of the
congressional
delegation that came up, as well. It's a real treat to be able to
walk
around the halls of a successful school, and most importantly, be able
to
look children in the eye and wish them all the best, urge them to go to
college. But thanks for having us. It's our honor to be
here. God bless.
(Applause.)
END 10:40 A.M. EST
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