Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 21 July 2005 — Page 3

The Muncie Times • July 21, 2005 • Page 3

continued from page 1 help somebody in need. It's an honor to be here with so many charitable and civic leaders. You see, we share a belief in the founding promises of this nation, a sense of optimism about our future, the future for all citizens, African Americans. We believe in the power of the human spirit to lift communities and to change lives. Together, we're working to achieve a great nationaT goal: making our country a place where opportunity and prosperity are within reach for all Americans. I see an America where all our children are taught the basic skills they need to live up to their Godgiven potential. I see an America where every citizen owns a stake in the future of our country, and where a growing economy creates jobs and opportunity for everyone. I see an America where most troubled neighborhoods become safe places of kinship and community. I see an America where every person of every race has the opportunity to strive for a oetter future and to take part of the promise of America. Thafs what I see. And I believe the government has a role to play in helping people ain the tools they need to uild lives of dignity and purpose. That's at the heart of what I call compassionate conservatism. To ensure that the promise of America reaches all our citizens, we must begin with education. I donT believe you can succeed in America unless you get a good education. (Applause.) Our nation took an historic step toward that goal of making sure every child is educated three years ago, when Republicans and Democrats came together to pass the No Child Left Behind Act. The No Child Left Behind Act is based on this straightforward principle: We'll spend money, but we want to make sure we get results. See, if you believe certain children can't read and write and can't possibly learn, then you don't care about results. But if you believe every child

can read, and every child can learn to write and add and subtract, then you want to know, don't you? How can you solve a problem unless you measure? And so 3s a part of the No Child Left Behind Act, we raised the bar. We raised the standards, and we said to local school districts, show us. That's all we want to know. We want to know whether or not a child can read. And we're making »ood progress as result of this new way of thinking. This morning the latest scores for the long-term National Assessment of Educational Progress were announced. See, this test is called the Nation's Report Card. It measures student achievement at age 9, 13, and 17, across the country with the same set of standards. In other words, we want to know how students are doing in California, Texas, and Indiana. So we measure on the same set of standards. You see, measurement helps us understand how were doing. You can't guess when it comes to a child's life. You got to measure. And the test results were released today. I'm proud to come here to talk about the new results. They're from the first long-term test by the way since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act. Over the last five years, American children have made significant gains. Math scores for 13-year-olds have increased by five points. Math scores for 9-year-olds have increased by nine points. And reading scores for 9-year-olds jumped seven points. America's 13-year-olds have earned the highest math scores ever recorded. Nine-year-olds posted the best scores ever in reading and math. What I’m telling you is across America more children are learning. And the success of young students is setting them on the path to a lifetime of achievement. And we're making big differences in the lives of African Americans. I say, we — let me get this straight — I'm talking about good teachers, and good principals, and

engaged parents. This is not the federal government. It is the people at the local level who are making a huge difference in the lives of their students. We've had an achievement gap in America and we need to do something about it. The No Child Left Behind Act is helping to do something about it. See, I refuse to accept this belief that certain people can't learn. I called it the soft bigotry of low expectations. Think about that phrase: It says if you lower the standards, you get lousy results. 1 believe you need to challenge that soft bigotry of low expectation. And we are. The Nation's Report Card shows that reading scores for African American 9-year-olds have jumped 14 points over tne past five years. Math scores have jumped 13 points in the same period of time. These are the highest scores ever in the history of the test. The achievement gap is starting to close. And that's good for the future of America. The gap between white and African American 9-year-olds in reading is the narrowest it's ever Been in the history of the 30-year test. These results snow that when performance is measured, and schools are held accountable, every child can succeed. That's what it shows. And we’re making progress toward achieving a dream where every single child in America gets a good education, and not one child is left behind. No Child Left Behind is making a difference in the elementary and middle schools, and I believe we need to expand this process to our high schools. Do you realize that according to the most recent data, only 68 out of every 100 students entering our public high schools make it to graduation four years later? That is an unacceptable statistic for America. See, here's what I think we need to do. I think we need to measure and determine why. You can't solve a problem unless you diagnose the problem.

I think we need to measure to make sure we understand what is going wrong, and correct the problems early before it's too late. And I believe the federal government has a role in providing money for early intervention for students falling behind. I know we need to do this. We need to make sure a high school diploma is the ticLet to success. Most new jobs in the 21st century are filled by people with at least two years of college. Think about that. Most new jobs in America today ^are filled by people with at least two years of college. And so we need to make higher education more affordable. And I proposed to the United States Congress that we reform the student aid system and increase college assistance for low-income students through the Pell grant program. I think we need to increase the maximum award for Pell grants and make them available to students year-round so they can be used for summer school, as well. We'll expand access to community colleges so more Americans can develop the skills and knowledge they need. And to help African American students get a higher education, we have continued to fund historically black colleges and historically black graduate institutions at record levels. My point to you is that if you re willing to work hard and stay in school, the federal government will take your side and help you. To ensure that the promise of America reaches all our citizens, we're working to build an ownership society in which more of our citizens have a personal stake in the future of our country. When you own something, your life is more secure. When you own something, you have more dignity. When you own something, you have greater independence. The more people who own something in America means this country is better off. So we've been working to promote an

ownership society. I want more people from all walks of life, including African Americans, to have a chance to own their own business. You can't expand business ownership unless you have a growing economy. And our economy is growing. It is the fastest growing of any major industrialized nation in the world. Our unemployment rate is down to 5 percent. In the last 12 months, we've created more than 2 million jobs. More Americans are working today than ever before in our nation's history. I believe the federal government can play a positive role in helping African Americans achieve the goal of owning their own business. Last year, the Small Business Administration increased the number of loans to African American businesses by 28 percent, and we're on track to beat that number this year. We're also working to ensure minority businesses are getting a better chance to compete for federal contracts. We’ve provided $8 billion in new market tax credits to boost investment and community development in lowincome areas. Because of sound policy and low taxes, by the way, and the hard work of our citizens, we're getting results. African American business ownership is at an all-time high in America today. We got some interesting ideas on how to build on this progress. We're working on a new initiative to help more African Americans and other minorities become business owners. My administration is joined with the Urban League, the Business Roundtable, the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and others to create what we call the Urban Entrepreneur Partnership. I think it's a smart idea. This partnership will develop one-stop economic empowerment centers in many of our nation's poorest communities. In other words, continued on page 5