Mr. Speaker, beginning today we have an opportunity to make a true difference in the lives of our nation’s children - particularly our most disadvantaged children. This rare opportunity presents itself in the form of No Child Left Behind, President Bush’s plan to improve elementary and secondary public education in America.

            This process began last December - before President Bush was technically even “President” Bush. It began with a meeting in Austin, Texas, when the President-elect invited members of both parties to discuss education reform, the item at the top of his agenda.

            None of us knew what to expect from that meeting. But all of us left with a sense that something extraordinary was within our grasp. It was clear our new President had a genuine interest in the issue of education. He had a powerful desire to bring members of all parties together on this issue in Washington, just as he’d done in Texas.

            Now, just under six months later, we’re here today - together - to consider the most important change in federal education policy in 35 years.

            I would like to thank my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have worked so hard on behalf of American students: the gentleman from California, Mr. McKeon; the gentleman from Georgia, Mr. Isakson; the gentleman from Colorado, Mr. Schaffer; the gentleman from Michigan, Mr. Kildee; Ms. Mink of Hawaii; and Mr. Roemer of Indiana. I particularly want to thank Mr. Castle, our colleague from Delaware, for his tireless efforts on behalf of our nation’s students; and my counterpart on the Democratic side, Mr. Miller of California, for his leadership and willingness to work in good faith for this bipartisan bill.

            The measure before us gives students a chance, parents a choice, and schools a challenge to be the best in the world. After 35 years of spending without accountability, it challenges states to use federal education dollars to deliver results for our students. Instead of relying on money and red tape, it taps into our nation’s most precious educational resource: parents.

            In the hands of caring parents, information is a powerful tool for reform in our schools. Why ask states to evaluate schools and students annually? Because parents deserve to know how their child’s school stacks up against others. Why have report cards for states and school districts? Because parents deserve to know whether their children are being taught by qualified teachers, and whether their child’s school is falling below expectations.

            The more parents know, the more likely they are to push for meaningful change in our schools. Without the ability to measure, there is simply no way for parents to know for certain that their children are truly learning. There is no way to know for certain which students are in danger of slipping through the cracks.

            As Education Secretary Rod Paige has noted, the President’s education plan rests on four pillars: accountability, local control, research-based reform and expanded parental options. The legislation before us meets all of the President’s principles:

            These reforms would mark the first time in a generation that Washington has returned a meaningful degree of authority to parents at the expense of the education bureaucracy. It would streamline a significant share of the federal education regime in one swift stroke. And it would provide new hope that the next generation of disadvantaged students can escape the misery of low expectations.

            I’m grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle who have worked so hard to turn the President’s vision for education reform into reality. I believe we’ve produced a plan that is worthy not just of the support of Republicans and Democrats and independents, but of teachers, parents, and most of all, our children.