Secretary of education addresses crowd at Drexel

Declaring that "we have reached a new frontier in school reform," U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige defended the No Child Left Behind Act and praised President George W. Bush for its passage during his speech Friday at the School District of Philadelphia Conference.

"We are not satisfied with the status quo. ... The one thing we all agree on is that our children must learn," Paige said during his speech to an audience of approximately 200 at the Creese Student Complex on the campus of Drexel University.

Responding to partisan criticism that No Child Left Behind has not aided Philadelphia's school system, Paige told the audience that, because of the act, 7.4 percent more eighth graders in Philadelphia read at a proficient level than in 2001.

Paige argued that No Child Left Behind is neither a Republican nor a Democratic act, but rather an American act. He commended the president for his ingenuity in getting the act passed.

A second major point that Paige made during his speech was that the "achievement gap" between minority and non-minority students is this generation's greatest civil rights challenge. He acknowledged that the gap is a major problem, but held that No Child Left Behind is helping to narrow that gap by giving everyone an equal chance.

"This is the United States of America," Paige said. "All men are created equal. You can't be equal if you don't have an equal shot at education." A strong audience applause punctuated Paige's statement.

Paige received a standing ovation at the conclusion of his speech. He was presented with a miniature replica of the Drexel Dragon and was made an honorary graduate by Drexel President Constantine Papadakis. He then remained at the podium to take questions from the audience.

When asked how he responds to critics who feel that the No Child Left Behind Act is underfunded, Paige said he believes that the focus should go deeper.

"I think the people making this charge are doing a great disservice to America," Paige said. He again defended the president against partisan accusations that the Bush administration has failed to properly fund the legislation.

Paige said that he believes that technology is a great tool, and that it should be available to teachers to help them achieve their goals. He also acknowledged a gap between the United States and other countries regarding science education, saying that school districts are making some bold steps in science education, "but not enough. We are beginning to turn our attention to science."

When asked what the keys to sustaining the education reform movement are, Paige asserted that better communication among school districts regarding their successes was necessary in order to show people that success is possible.

"My favorite part of the speech was where he said the greatest civil rights challenge of our generation is the achievement gap," said Judith Grant, an employee of the British Embassy. "I thought that was absolutely hitting the nail on the head."

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