Last month, in my State of the Union address, I called on Congress to help us launch a 21st century revolution in education, guided by our faith that every child can learn. If our nation is going to make the most of the promise of the new economy, we must help every American make the most of their God-given potential. But students can't aim high in schools that perform low.
Every child deserves a high-quality education.
I'm proud that our administration has enacted the largest investments in education in three decades, while, at the same time, working hard for higher standards, greater accountability, and extra help so that all children can meet those high standards. Across our nation, reading and math scores are on the rise. But in spite of this progress, too many schools in our poorest neighborhoods still fail to offer a quality education, and too few of these failing schools ever get enough help to turn around. That's why I challenged Congress last year to pass my plan to establish a new school accountability fund to help states and local communities to fix failing schools. Today I'm releasing official guidelines to ensure that these funds are invested in what works.