We must focus our education system on the fundamentals of organizational effectiveness. As those of you here today know, these are fundamentals that work for organizations, systems, businesses and individuals. And they are fundamentals that will work for our schools. Setting high standards is the first step. When we expect more from our children, we will get more.
Children know when they are being sold short.
We can't help our children by asking less of them, but we can help them by expecting more. Setting standards is important, but it does us no good if we aren't making sure that our kids are meeting them. To ensure that children are meeting high standards, we must test them - every child, every year. Testing is an aspect of the President's plan that has generated fear and anxiety in some quarters, but testing can be a powerful and effective tool for teachers. Tests are also the best way for us to identify failing schools and failing students.