Henry L. Johnson, assistant secretary for elementary and secondary education for the U.S. Department of Education, made a speech in the Dome Room of the Rotunda yesterday afternoon that offered a positive analysis of the current progress and future achievement of primary and secondary education in the United States.
Johnson discussed the critical role the No Child Left Behind legislation has played in school improvements as well as current plans which will shape American education in the future.
"No Child encourages rigor and accountability," Johnson said. "It's the first effort on a national scale for achieving rigorous standards."
In the latest No Child Left Behind report, schools improved in multiple categories, Johnson said.
"The achievement gap between blacks and whites is at its narrowest since 1990," Johnson said. The results for math and reading tests of 4th grade African-Americans were the highest ever recorded, Johnson added.
Even more important than national regulations and guidelines, Johnson said, is the role of teachers in students' lives. Johnson said that recent research shows that African-American students think their teachers are the largest factor in determining their success.
"Teachers really, really matter," Johnson said. "What they do in classrooms matters more than any other factor."
Students' achievement, or lack thereof, can also come from a variety of other factors, Johnson noted.
"There are family factors, there are community factors, there are factors that deal with the individual," Johnson said, noting that while schools and administrators cannot directly control these variables, schools can still strive to make an impact.
Despite the progress and improvements already made by schools, more progress is needed, Johnson said.
On the national level, the Department of Education is developing new programs and studies in order to continue to develop more rigorous educational standards, Johnson said.
President Bush also recently announced initiatives to improve the quality of education nationwide, by expanding advanced placement and international baccalaureate programs as well as placing a greater emphasis on math, science and foreign languages in high schools, Johnson said.
African-American Affairs Dean M. Rick Turner said that money can be another crucial factor in schools' and students' success, as state and local authorities must responsibly allocate funding for those students who are not reaching current goals.
The speech was the first in the Walter Ridley Distinguished Lecture Series, honoring Ridley, the first African-American to graduate from the University, said Dawn Martin, executive director of Ridley Scholarship Funds.
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