Radio Address by the President to the Nation, 9-06-03

WhiteHouse.gov ^ | 9-06-03 | Geroge W. Bush

[Salvation]

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
September 6, 2003

President's Radio Address

     Audio

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This month, as students across the nation are starting a new school year, parents, teachers and principals are starting to notice a difference in America's schools. The No Child Left Behind Act that I signed into law last year is raising standards for student achievement, giving parents more information and more choices, requiring more accountability from schools, and funding education at record levels.

The premise of the No Child Left Behind Act is simple: all children can learn, and the only way to make sure our children are learning is to measure their progress with tests. So the No Child Left Behind Act requires regular testing in the basics of reading and math for every child in every school, starting in the third grade. And the law sets a clear goal for American education: every child, in every school, must perform at grade level in reading and math, which are the keys to all learning.

To meet this goal, all 50 states and the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have designed accountability plans that have been approved by the Department of Education and are now being put into effect in America's schools. School districts across America are now providing parents with lists of outside tutors who can give extra help at no cost to low income children in under-performing schools.

Those parents also have the option of transferring a son or a daughter out of a school that is not doing the job to a better public school or charter school. And soon every community in America will have report cards on every local public school, so citizens can measure progress and push for reform.

While we're demanding excellence from schools, we're also giving them extra resources to succeed. Since this new law went into effect, 40 states have received a total of nearly $1.3 billion in grant money, to support scientifically-based reading instruction in kindergarten through the third grade.

My budget for next year includes more than $1.1 billion for effective reading programs, four times the amount we were spending on these programs when I took office. And overall federal spending for elementary and secondary education is higher than ever before. My budget for next year boosts education funding to $53.1 billion, an increase of nearly $11 billion since I took office.

Schools are getting the federal resources and help they need to improve, and parents are getting the information and options they need to support reform. And we're just beginning. This new school year will be a year of challenges and hard work and great progress. And through it all we will keep in mind the focus of all our efforts -- our children, who deserve an education worthy of this great nation. Together we will make sure that every child learns and no child is left behind.

Thank you for listening.

END

[Salvation]

For your infomation. All comments welcomed.

[Salvation]

Radio Address Ping!

Please notify me by Freepmail if you would like to be added to or removed from the Radio Address Ping List.

[Salvation]

Calling all you educators out there to comment.

Will more money improve the education of children in the United States?

I'm not so sure it is all being used as wisely as the President might wish.

[Salvation]

Go away!

[MeekOneGOP]

He needs more money for all his illegal immigrant friends who will not vote for him. He is an @$$hole.

My gosh !! Who needs DUers to disrupt FR threads when there are Freepers to do it, eh ?? ...

No Disruptor Zone !! ...

[Crusader21stCentury]

Will a simple No do?

[Crusader21stCentury]

My gosh !! Who needs DUers to disrupt FR threads when there are Freepers to do it, eh ?? ...

Who needs FR then if we're all supposed to think exactly the same way.

[MeekOneGOP]

Calling all you educators out there to comment.

[Joe Hadenuf]

CNN reporting the Bush will announce that Presidente Fox will be be appointed as new Home Land security chief.

[MeekOneGOP]

I don't think that calling ANYONE an A**hole is appropriate on any thread on
FR. It shows utter disrespect. Especially when you call President Bush one.

Besides the fact that when you post on FR there is a note in the posting template, if you'll notice:

Please: NO profanity, NO personal attacks , NO racism or violence in posts.

My last reply to you, friend ...

[Crusader21stCentury]

Let us get this right I called him an @$$hole, what you think this is, is entirely in your head. I know of no word that includes two dollar signs.
This does not constitute profanity.

[blackie]

Let Freedom Ring ~ GWB Is The Man!

[Sir Charles]

Please add to Radio Address Ping List. Thanks

[Sir Charles]

If you have a message, why use a word no one is supposed to understand?

[Voice in your head]

I've got 2 nieces. One just started school this week and the younger one starts in two more years. That scares the hell out of me. My brother and his wife have done a great job raising two smart, outgoing, good-natured, polite little girls. Now, they're on their way to school, to pick up the bad habits of other people's children, to pick up the wack-brained ideas of whatever teacher they are assigned, and to be indoctrinated with the crap that passes for education these days - socialism, multiculturalism, "tolerance", sex education, and environmental-wackoism.

How about we get rid of government schools, or at least stop forcing people to pay for them, if they want to send their children to private schools?

The President would get my vote if he would stop spending my money and stop attempts to make government the solution for our society's problems. Government schools are the reason for the problems with education. Government is the cause, not the solution.

[Salvation]

Thanks.

[Salvation]

Will do!

[Salvation]

I tend to agree with you that throwing more money at education will NOT solve the problem.

Oxymoron here -- or is it just me? Why are they privatizing jobs, let's say bookkeeping for example, and public supporting at the same time education. Just doesn't make sense.

Another question:

Why do so many public school teachers send their children to private or parochial schools? There's an answer here folks!!!

[MeekOneGOP]

You bet. I just don't understand why folks come here and to PhiKapMom's Bush-Cheney 2004 re-election threads and make such messes like that. Sheesh !