Secretary Spellings Releases Statement on 2007 Condition of Education Report

U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings today issued the following statement upon the release of the Condition of Education 2007:

These findings confirm what parents, policymakers, and employers nationwide already know: we must improve America’s high schools, and we must do it now.

Research shows that rigorous high school coursework is the key to success in college and the workforce. So I’m pleased that enrollment in Advanced Placement courses has doubled in the last decade. Unfortunately, 33 percent of our high schools still offer no AP coursework at all, and minority students are only half as likely as white students to take these rigorous classes.

We cannot afford to continue rationing rigor and opportunity by race, sex, or income level-especially now that 90 percent of our fastest growing jobs require postsecondary education or training. Thanks to No Child Left Behind, students across our country are improving, and achievement gaps between low-income and minority students and their peers have reached all-time lows. By renewing the law this year, we can build on this progress by bringing high standards and accountability to our high schools and expanding rigorous coursework dramatically.

All of us know that students need advanced knowledge and skills to succeed in today’s global economy. With high standards and rigor, we can prepare a rising generation of innovators and entrepreneurs to lead us into the 21st century.