A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

I want to thank Marilyn Reznick and the folks from the AT&T Foundation for their support of the National Teachers Forum over the years. Marilyn has been a wonderful partner and a terrific friend of teachers.

I also want to thank my senior advisor, Terry Dozier, for beginning these forums and making them a great success. And I want to thank Sharon Nelson. Sharon, I know that you've put in long hours organizing this forum, and now that's it's ending, I'm sure you're looking forward to getting your life back. Let's give Sharon a big round of applause for a job well done.

Of course, I also want to thank all of you for taking the time to come to Washington and share your ideas with us. The dedication of America's teachers never ceases to amaze me. I speak to many teachers' groups, and I'm supposed to be the inspirational figure. But you teachers always end up inspiring me. And I just want to let you know that because you never stop fighting for education, I'll never stop fighting for you.

My friends, this is our eighth annual Teacher Forum, dating back to 1993. And since this is my last one as secretary of education, I thought it would be appropriate to look back at some of the most important things that have happened in these past eight years.

Now I want to talk about the changes that we've seen in education since our first Teacher Forum in 1993. In my view, the last eight years have been some of the most important years in the history of education in our country. We have turned the corner. I firmly believe that we have built a new foundation for education that sets the stage for a great renaissance in learning.

I want to take a few moments to give you some specifics, and I'll tell you why. We have some "professional critics" of education in our country who seem to enjoy trashing our schools. Some of them haven't been inside a school in 20 years, but that doesn't stop them. They insist that American education hasn't improved at all. My friends, these folks need to do their homework. For their benefit, I'd like to set the record straight. So here goes:

In 1993, only 14 states were putting challenging standards to work in their classrooms. Today, 49 states have raised standards.

In 1993, only 14 percent of our schools and 3 percent of our classrooms were connected to the Internet. Today, 95 percent of our schools and 65 percent of our classrooms are connected.

In 1993, there was only charter school in all of America. Today, there are 1,700.

Eight years ago, there were no national board-certified "master" teachers. Today, there are nearly 5,000, and by the end of this school year we expect to have thousands more.

Eight years ago, only 39 percent of all high school graduates had taken four years of English and three years each of math, science, and social studies. Today, 55 percent of all high school graduates take that challenging core curriculum. That's still not enough by a long shot, but we're moving in the right direction.

Since 1993, the number of students taking Advanced Placement tests has increased by two-thirds.

Since 1994, reading scores have been on the rise. Math scores are up as well, and SAT math scores are at a 30-year high.

We have seen a renaissance in higher education as well. More Americans are going to college today than ever before. In 1999, we reported the highest percentage ever of citizens nationally with a bachelor's degree or higher-24 percent-and the highest percentage of students enrolling in college directly after high school-37 percent.

I would say that's a real record of progress. And the lion's share of the credit goes to you-America's teachers. You've done it despite some tough odds. There are more students in our schools today than ever before, and we're asking you to teach every one of them to high standards. And we're holding you and your schools to tough new standards of accountability. That's a tall order. Yet you've moved us forward, and I'm proud of each and every one of you.

Now, no one can claim that the record is perfect. We need to pick up the pace of change. But we know how to make change happen.

For example, last week the state of California reported very encouraging gains in test scores, especially among minority and low-income students. California is turning things around by raising expectations and standards. But California recognizes that we cannot ask teachers to meet higher standards without giving you the resources you need to do it. In other words, we cannot just look at the "demand" side of the equation in education, as some teacher critics tend to do. We've got to look at the "supply" side, too.

That's what California is doing. It's investing in such "teacher-friendly" initiatives as reducing class size and improving teacher recruitment and training. In short, California understands that no school reform effort can succeed without quality teaching. Let me repeat that-no school reform effort can succeed without quality teaching.

Now, that should be obvious or what young people might call a "no-brainer." But sometimes we overlook the most obvious things, and policymakers may neglect to put teacher quality at the top of the agenda. That's a mistake we've got to correct, and we need your leadership to do it.

That's why I want to challenge each of you today to become leaders for change. All of you have received well-deserved recognition. With recognition comes responsibility.

We need you to lead the fight for change in your schools. Inspire, inform, and encourage your fellow teachers to get involved. Then make your voices heard in your communities and states, and through the media. We need you to be visible and active because you're the experts, and experts will be listened to.

Be active on the national level as well. Keep in touch with us at the U. S. Department of Education. By coming here, you have gained a voice at the Department. Use it. Call us. Meet with us. Tell us what we're doing right, and what we're doing wrong. Bug the heck out of us.

For our part, we'll keep providing you with more of the resources you'll need to be effective leaders. In the coming weeks, we will publish a new Teachers' Guide to the U. S. Department of Education. This guide will give you complete, detailed information about everything that we have to offer teachers. Be sure to call us to get a copy.

In the coming weeks, I will also continue to fight to keep our nation's investment in education strong. If you've been following the news, you may know that the president, vice president, and I have been struggling with Congress over the education budget. I think the newspapers should report on this battle in the sports pages, right next to the wrestling news. Because when I ask the majority in Congress for money for education, I feel like I'm fighting one of those 400-pound Sumo wrestlers.

But I'll keep fighting because the initiatives that we have asked for are crucial to the future of education. Let me mention just a few.

We want to help hire 79,000 more well-prepared teachers to reduce class size in the early grades and improve reading.

We want to expand after-school programs and mentoring programs for disadvantaged middle-school students.

We've put on the table the first federal initiative to prepare more principals to meet the growing shortage of good school leaders.

We've asked for $1 billion to recruit and prepare more qualified teachers to work in inner-city and rural communities.

We have proposed an innovative financing plan to build, repair, or modernize 6,000 schools to meet the challenges of overcrowded classrooms and crumbling schoolhouses.

And we want to help create smaller high schools to give teachers and students smaller, safer learning environments.

Those are some of our proposals to Congress. I have made two more proposals to all of America: First, let's improve teacher pay by offering teachers 11-month contracts. We can't get good teachers on the cheap anymore. And second, let's implement the recommendations of the Glenn Commission and invest in preparing more math and science teachers. We are reaching a critical shortage of teachers in these subjects, and we must pay immediate attention to the problem.

I hope you will allow me to end on a personal note. In just a few months, someone else will have the honor of being U. S. secretary of education. You don't get tenure in this job.

When I look back on these years, I will cherish the time that I spent with America's teachers. I will especially remember the wonderful response that I get from teachers when I use my favorite quote about teaching. It comes from the work of an old friend of mine from South Carolina, the writer Pat Conroy. This quote is from his novel The Prince of Tides.

In this passage, the character Tom, a teacher, is asked why he chose to "sell himself short" when he was so talented and could have done anything with his life. Tom replies, "There's no word in the language that I revere more than 'teacher.' None. My heart sings when a kid refers to me as his teacher, and it always has. I've honored myself and the entire family of man by becoming a teacher."

I want to thank all of you for honoring me and the entire U. S. Department of Education for participating in our National Teacher Forum. Children are 20 percent of our population, but 100 percent of our future. I know that because of all of you, our country's future is in good hands. Thank you all very much.

Last Updated -- [10/13/00] (etn)