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Secretary Spellings Thanks and Encourages Educators at Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshop |
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From Education Newsfeed: "I'm inspired by hard-working teachers who believe every child deserves a quality education. You can feel the high expectations when you walk into their classrooms." --- U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings delivered remarks to teachers from Minnesota, 15 neighboring states and Bureau of Indian Affairs schools at the Teacher-to-Teacher Summer Workshop today in St. Paul, Minn. Secretary Spellings thanked and encouraged teachers, and discussed the importance of sharing best practices, so that teachers can better face the challenges of closing the achievement gap and getting students at or above grade level in reading and math by 2014. Thank you, Chauncey Veatch, for that kind introduction. We can make all the right policy moves in Washington, but without great teachers like you instilling a love of learning in our students, nothing else matters. It's an honor to be here in St. Paul with Alice Seagren, who is the state commissioner of education here in Minnesota. Let me give a special thanks to all the presenters for giving up their summer breaks to travel around the country as part of this program. It's no secret that teaching is one of the hardest jobs out there. As a mom, I've enjoyed meeting my daughters' teachers through the years. And I appreciate how they've always made time to see me and let me know what's happening in the classroom. I also tried my hand at substitute teaching for a few months after graduating from college. When we passed the No Child Left Behind Act over four years ago, we knew the hard work of ensuring every child could read and do math at grade level would fall on your shoulders. When someone says a child can't learn, you see a child who just needs a chance. And thanks to this law, we're learning what you've always known: With a great teacher, every child can and will learn---regardless of race, income, or zip code. As you all know, thousands of students started the school year without a place to live or go to school. That's a tribute to the power of high expectations. Everywhere I go, I'm inspired by hard-working teachers who believe every child deserves a quality education. Because at its heart, it's all about giving teachers the tools to help students achieve their potential. Thanks to this law, for the first time ever, teachers can track student progress from year to year and analyze which strategies actually work for them in the classroom. Bob teaches at an urban, low-income junior high school in Sacramento. Nearly half of our 17-year-olds don't have the necessary math skills to work as a production associate at a modern auto plant. And our 15-year-olds rank 24th out of 29 developed nations in math literacy and problem solving. The President and the Congress recently created a new $100 million Teacher Incentive Fund to encourage more experienced teachers to take jobs in high-poverty schools, where a high-quality teacher can make all the difference in the world.
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