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the role of junior and community colleges in education GEORGE BUSH US PRESIDENT this article is in 4 parts this is part 4 DR. WHITE: Which means, the academic programs, and registration, faculty, all the student issues live in my office.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, good. Well, kind of the enforcer. (Laughter.) And so one of the things I want you to describe to people is how a displaced worker can access your college. I mean, you see -- I presume you see people who are, like, your age and my age -- not that old, I'm sure -- my case. (Laughter.) Tell me -- seriously, tell me kind of the nature of the student body here. * * * * * THE PRESIDENT: Yes, good. So you take all comers. So community colleges are accessible, they're available, they're affordable, and their curriculums don't get stuck. In other words, if there's a need for a certain kind of worker, I presume your curriculums evolved over time. DR. WHITE: You betcha. If this community needs -- THE PRESIDENT: I'm not even a lawyer, and here I am leading the witness. (Laughter and applause.) Go ahead. DR. WHITE: You betcha. If this community needs it, we're there to do that. We've partnered with businesses, we do retraining, we welcome short-term projects, two-year degrees. We're even opening some bachelor's degree programs that are work force-oriented to respond to this military and defense-oriented community. THE PRESIDENT: See, there are jobs in this community, and sometimes the skill sets of the workers don't meet the skill sets required for the job. And so what she's saying is, the community college is available to train people for the jobs which actually exist. I appreciate that. Thank you, Jill. Very good job. |
DR. WHITE: Your welcome. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, we've got Wayne Campbell with us. Let me tell you something interesting. He is the CEO -- that's the Chief Executive Officer -- of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. (Applause.) Huge, thunderous ovation. (Applause.) Look -- never mind, don't get carried away.
Are you looking for workers?
MR. CAMPBELL: Yes, sir, we're always looking for workers.
THE PRESIDENT: And what kind of workers?
MR. CAMPBELL: I'd have to say all, but primarily nursing.
THE PRESIDENT: So you've got a nursing shortage?
MR. CAMPBELL: Nationwide, there's a nursing shortage.
THE PRESIDENT: Right. And obviously nurses require a certain skill set. What do you do to help people that you're trying to hire have the skill set necessary to fill the jobs?
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: That's good, yes, but they partnered with the school. See, here is what you're hearing. Here is a guy looking for work; there is health care jobs. If you're out there and listening to whether or not there's a job available for you, they're looking for workers. They're looking for nurses. They're looking for people in the health care field. That's just one area where there's a job shortage here in America.
And what he just said was, they came to this community college to partner with the community college. The community college was open-minded enough to say to a local employer, how can we work together in a collaborative fashion to educate people for the jobs which actually exist. One way to keep jobs in America is to utilize the community college system of America, to make sure people have the skills necessary to fill the jobs that are growing here in this country.
And I want to thank you for coming. I appreciate you being here. (Applause.)
Tammy Ford is with us. She used to work in a textile company -- for
how long?
MS. FORD: Fourteen years.
THE PRESIDENT: What happened?
MS. FORD: They shut down, took it to Mexico.
THE PRESIDENT: See, the textile company went to Mexico. Then what happened?
MS. FORD: I didn't have a job anymore.
THE PRESIDENT: I know that. (Laughter.)
MS. FORD: Because of the NAFTA program I was able to go back to school.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Let me tell you what she just said. Good job. Thank you. Very good. I knew you were going to do great. She got laid off. Her life was -- it was a traumatic moment in her life. Fortunately, the government has got plans to help. It's called trade adjustment assistance, which means if you get laid off, in this case, because the job went elsewhere, there's money to help you retrain. It's important for everybody to know here. That's wise use of taxpayers' money, by the way, is to help people retrain for the jobs which exist.
Now, we can't -- the government can't pass a law that says, Tammy, you've got to go back to school. She had to make up her mind to do that herself. But government has got a role to help people who want to help themselves. And that's what you're hearing. You're hearing a story about somebody -- (applause) -- who chose to go back to school with government help. But listen to what she said. She said, with extra education, she makes more money. In other words, she became a more productive worker. And when you hear productivity increases, that means there's a chance you can make more money. Not everybody -- unless their skills, unless they go back to school. And the government's role is to help you. That's what I'm telling you.
This is a robust plan to help people like Tammy gain the skills necessary to fill the higher-paying jobs which are being created. And it's one of the real challenges of this economy. And we've got to be wise about how we use our resources. And I can't think of a wiser way than to help people go back to the community colleges to train for the jobs which exist.
Marina -- Marina Hobson is with us. You ready, Marina? Tell us your story real quick.
* * * * *
THE PRESIDENT: Let me just say that there are people out there probably listening, say, gosh, I wonder if I could do this, and the answer is, of course you can. You just heard her. She said it's exciting to learn new things. Go ahead.
MS. HOBSON: And I graduated in 2001 with honors here. In our A-plus school -- (applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: There you go.
MS. HOBSON: And after I graduated, I worked for the Chamber of Commerce in Crestview for three years and I just recently changed jobs. And now I work for a small tree service company called Fritz Brothers Tree Service.
THE PRESIDENT: Fantastic.
MS. HOBSON: The number one tree service in -- (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: There you go, you just got a raise. (Applause.) Go ahead -- making a little more money now than you did before?
MS. HOBSON: Oh, most definitely, most definitely.
THE PRESIDENT: See, education pays off. It pays off when people take education seriously early in life. But the key is not to give up on anybody in America if we want this country to be a vibrant place, a chance where people can realize their dreams. (Applause.) Both these examples are examples of people that at one time their life was shattered because the jobs just couldn't compete, yet new jobs are available. And we just got to help people get them.
Thanks for coming, Tammy -- Marina. Thank you, appreciate you coming. (Applause.)
I'm running because I want this country to be a hopeful place. I'm running because I want to keep economic growth alive and well. I'm running so people can realize their dreams. One way to make sure this economy stays strong is to be wise about how we spend your money and keep taxes low, which is what I'm going to do. (Applause.)
And finally -- finally, I'm running again because I understand the strength of this country is the heart and soul of our people. That's the strength of America. Think about it -- this is a country that has got people from all walks of life are willing to love a neighbor just like they'd like to be loved themselves. The ability to change our country one heart and one soul at a time is real because there are people who are willing to love a neighbor.
And my job as the President is to call upon that compassion, is to rally the great strength of the country. Government is limited in its ability to love. Government is not a very loving organization. Government is about law and justice. Love comes from the soul of people. Love comes from their hearts. And the job of a President -- part of the job of a President is to rally that compassion and call upon people to serve.
And that's why this faith-based and community-based initiative is so important. It's an initiative that recognizes that sometimes only problems -- problems can be solved when you help change a person's heart. If you're hooked on drugs or alcohol -- (applause) -- if you're hooked on drugs or alcohol, sometimes a counselor can work it for you, but a lot of times it requires a change of your heart in order to change your behavior. And government should not fear programs like that, programs based upon faith. They ought to welcome programs based upon faith to change this soul one heart and one conscience at a time. (Applause.)
I'm running for a reason. There's more to do to make this country a safer country, a stronger country, and a better country. And I want thank you for giving me the chance to come and explain to you why I'm running again. And thank you for giving me a chance to ask for you help.
Now, before we get on the bus, heading up to Panama City, I'll be glad to answer some questions if somebody has one or two.
Q Right here, Mr. President! (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Whew. I'm glad that turned out to be a question. (Laughter.) Let her go. What do you got? Yell it.
Q It's an honor to be here.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q You're the man for the job in this time.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q (Inaudible) -- I want you to take up, and it's to make the world -- that's HR25 -- (inaudible.) (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: All right, thank you. He's talking about getting rid of the current tax system and replacing it with a national sales tax. It's in interesting idea. You know, I'm not exactly sure how big the national sales tax is going to have to be, but it's the kind of interesting idea that we ought to explore seriously. You know, we're working to try to simplify the code. It is, no question, complex. The more simple it is the better it is for the American people. That's certainly one idea. That's an interesting idea that we ought to explore.
And the Senator and I -- we'll grill old Miller here on the bus to see if he can explain it all to us. (Laughter.)
You got a question?
Q Why do kids my age have to pay taxes --
THE PRESIDENT: Why do kids your age have to pay taxes? That's an interesting question. I guess because you're earning money, to begin with. (Laughter.) I don't know what your circumstances are. I will tell you some principles I believe. I don't believe anybody ought to pay more than 35 percent to the federal government, for starters. (Applause.) I believe that if we set priorities in Washington, we don't need to be raising taxes on the people right now. I think we can keep taxes low in order to make sure this economy continues to grow.
I'll tell you what I'm worried about -- I'm worried about if we don't make permanent the child credit -- if we don't, the child credit goes down, which will hurt families with children. If we don't make this tax relief permanent we passed, the marriage penalty is going up. If we don't, the 10 percent bracket goes away. In other words, we're raising taxes on the working people right now, which is the wrong time to raising taxes on the working people.
Yes, sir.
Q I have two things to say for you. One is, if you would use more testimonials in your campaign from military people that would prove to the American people that the Army is behind you and they're being accepted where they are and they're doing the job that they do.
THE PRESIDENT: Good idea, thank you. And not only that, I got that advice for free. Here I'm paying thousands of dollars to these high-paid political consultants, and this guy comes up with a good idea for free.
Q And the other thing is, is I'm 60 years old and I've voted Republican from the very first time I could vote. And I also want to say this is the very first time that I have felt that God was in the White House.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. (Applause.) Thank you, all. Let me ask you a question. Do you like Jeb? Jeb plants him right here on the front row. (Laughter.)
Q Mr. President, how do you feel about the republic standing strong in these current times on a constitutional amendment that has been burdening our nation?
THE PRESIDENT: Be a little more specific.
Q Well, specifically, like one man and one woman getting married --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, okay. He's asking me about -- I think you're asking me about why I proposed a constitutional amendment to support traditional marriage; is that right?
Q Well, how you feel about it.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, I support it, and I'll tell you why.
Q Yes, sir, constitutional cleansing for things that have burdened our nation that should be under the cover of the republic instead of the courts.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, that's a good question. What he wants to know is -- he's worried that the courts are defining the issue of marriage. That's what he's asking. And so am I. I believe that -- first of all, I just want everybody to take a step back from this issue, and this is an issue where all of us need to treat people with different opinions with the utmost respect. This is a sensitive topic. The debate needs to be conducted in a civilized way. But it's a serious debate.
I'll tell you why it's a serious debate. I happen to believe traditional marriage, marriage between a woman and man is necessary for a stable society. It's served civilization well throughout the years. (Applause.) Now, people say, why the constitutional amendment? And the reason why is, is because I am concerned that law on the books will be overturned by the courts. The courts have been very active in this area. As a matter of fact, in one state they redefined -- four judges redefined marriage as we know it. Four judges. And the people didn't have a decision in that process.
And I am concerned that that will continue to happen on federal law, as well. And someday, we're going to wake up and realize that the courts have defined marriage, and not the people. And so one way to guarantee that the people are involved with this very important debate is through the constitutional process. After all, states must be involved in the ratification of a constitutional amendment.
And so I support a constitutional amendment to define marriage as between a man and a woman. I also believe the states have got the right, should they choose, to provide legal guarantees for other types of couples. To me, that is a different issue from the definition of marriage. And so that's why I take the position I took. And I appreciate your question. (Applause.)
Yes, sir.
Q President Bush --
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, ma'am.
Q I understand that the Democratic leadership in Congress wants --
THE PRESIDENT: I'm looking around for you.
Q I'm here. I'm over here.
THE PRESIDENT: No, not for you. (Laughter.) Oh, okay. I got you, yes. Thank you.
Q I understand that the Democratic leadership in Congress wants to reinstate the draft that will include women with no exception. What is your position --
THE PRESIDENT: No, I don't think so. I haven't heard that, to be fair to the Democrat leadership. Maybe they have. I don't think I've heard it. John hasn't, either. No, we're not going -- we don't need the draft. Look, the all-volunteer Army is working. The all-volunteer Army -- (applause.) I really don't think, in all fairness, I haven't heard that. Maybe you have. I have not heard any leader in the Congress of either party advocating a draft. I beg your pardon. John said a couple of the guys in the House have. They will -- I know Senator McCain and I agree on this issue for certain, the all-volunteer Army works.
And the way -- I'll tell you one way how you make it work -- I just signed a defense appropriations bill, which is the fourth year in a row in which we've raised the pay of those who wear our uniform, and the pay's getting better. (Applause.) And the housing is getting better. In other words, the quality of life issues are improving. And that's one way you make -- that's how you make the all-volunteer Army work, by making sure that when somebody signs up, they're treated well -- that they're paid well, and that they're housed well, and that -- the best way to encourage re-enlistment is to make sure that the families feel welcomed and well-treated.
I'm really proud of our military. You know, one of the hard things I've got to do -- (applause) -- let me finish here -- one of the hard things that I've got to do, and I know John does it, as well, and I'm sure the Congressman does -- is to visit the wounded. We did so in Fort Lewis, Washington together. And I can tell you that your government provides fantastic medical service to those who have been wounded on the battlefield. I mean, we're taking these kids from Iraq to either a hospital in Germany or a field hospital, and then to Walter Reed or Bethesda Naval Hospital, in record time. And we're saving a lot of lives.
And the question I always ask their loved ones is, are you being treated well. You've got a wife there that is worried about her husband who has been wounded, and I say, are they treating you well? Is your loved one getting the care needed? And, to a person -- now, look, I, admittedly -- sometimes, it's hard to tell me a different thing than, yes, we're doing great. But it's -- but the response from those whose lives we're trying to heal and save and their loved ones has been unbelievable. I mean, your government cares deeply about somebody who is in harm's way and who has been injured in harm's way.
And that is -- you've got to know something, as the Commander-in-Chief, it means a lot to be able to tell a relative, we're doing all we can to help your loved one. And we are. And we're a great country. We really are. What a fabulous nation we are. (Applause.)
Go ahead and yell it out.
Q First of all -- (inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Yes, I better give you a mike for that one.
Q (Inaudible) -- I have a brother who served in Afghanistan and is going back to Iraq. (Inaudible) --
THE PRESIDENT: Right.
Q -- people from around the world, but my concern is how, in Iraq, they have so many hands in the pot. I want -- (inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thanks. That's a very interesting question. Really -- your son's going back to Iraq?
Q My brother.
THE PRESIDENT: Brother. And what she's worried about is whether or not we've got the vision and a plan to complete the vision, to complete the mission. That's a very legitimate question. And the answer is, we do. We do.
I'll tell you, the -- first, let me talk to you about my plans for your brother. When he gets over there, I'd like him to get back as soon as possible, but that's after the mission has been completed. All of us want our troops out, but what we don't want is to cut short the mission. We don't want politics -- (applause) -- we don't want politics to decide the mission. We want -- I think the best solution is to put good commanders on the ground, say, what do you need?
And so, people -- what is the mission? The mission is a free Iraq that can stand up and defend herself. That is going to change the world. I just want you to know that your brother is going on a mission that has got historic proportions to it. I mean, this is a -- this is -- we're changing history. Just think about what a free Iraq will mean in the heart of the Middle East. It's not only going to make America more secure; it's going to help change a part of the world that is desperate for freedom. People long to be free.
Too often, our foreign policy has been, let's just don't worry about the freedom aspect of society. But look where it got us. Think about it. In that part of the world, there's such resentment and poverty, and we've got kids looking for work and they can't find anything, so they become recruited by these killers. And yet, there's an opportunity to change that, by working for a free society.
And so the mission of your brother is clear. And the mission will be better accomplished and more quickly accomplished when we train Iraqis to do the job that our coalition forces are doing now. And that's the task at hand. That's the task at hand. The task at hand is to train these folks and equip these folks as quickly as possible, and as efficiently as possible.
I mean, the key is not to set artificial time lines. See, you set an artificial time line, it says -- it says to the enemy, well, gosh, all we've got to do is wait them out. It says to the Iraqis, we're going to quit on you. If the Iraqi people think that the United States is not true to its word, they will grow timid. They don't want to take a risk in case somebody comes back that's going to cut off their hands.
And so your brother is going on a mission that is a vital mission. I know you're worried about him. I can see it in your eyes. And I don't blame -- I don't blame you.
Q He's ready.
THE PRESIDENT: Well, he's ready, but, sister, you're worried, and I don't blame you. You love him, is why you're worried. And that's wonderful.
Let me tell you an interesting story, though, and I hope you keep this story -- I hope this helps you and helps everybody understand. So I'm having dinner with Prime Minister Koizumi. He's the Prime Minister of Japan. And we're having Kobe beef -- pretty good. (Laughter.) It was in Tokyo. And guess what we were talking about? We were talking about peace. We were talking about how to deal with Kim Jong-il in North Korea. He's dangerous. I thought it didn't make any sense for us to have a bilateral relationship with him because he -- the last time we tried to have one, he didn't tell the truth. So I learned a lesson, and then started to rally other nations to be involved with us to convince this man to get rid of his nuclear weapons program. And one of our partners in convincing Kim Jong-il to disarm is Japan.
Now, the interesting part of the story, I think, as far as your brother is concerned, is that during the course of the conversation, I thought it was pretty neat to be talking to a Prime Minister of a country that we had been at war with, that my Dad had actually, as a young Navy pilot, trained down the road here, went overseas -- and I know many of your dads did, as well -- to fight against the Japanese, our enemy. They were our sworn enemy. And today, or that day, I was talking to the head of a former enemy, and we're talking about keeping the world more peaceful. (Applause.)
Now, let me finish -- let me finish. There were a lot of people after World War II who did not believe that Japan could be a self-governing peaceful nation. There were a lot of people who said, well, the reconstruction effort isn't going to work. These people can't do this. But, fortunately, our predecessors in the presidency and the Senate and the Congress believed that liberty can change lives -- and never forgot that fantastic American belief that freedom has the capacity to transform lives, transform enemies to allies in peace. Some day an American President is going to be sitting down with an elected leader from Iraq, huddled and talking about how to keep the peace. That's what your brother -- (Applause.)
Go ahead, yes.
Q My dad is a retired vet -- (inaudible) -- (applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you so much. Where is he? Where's the Colonel?
Q (Inaudible.)
THE PRESIDENT: Well, you tell the Colonel, I saluted him. Thank you. (Applause.) I appreciate that. God bless you. Thank you. That's very sweet of you.
Okay, who was yelling up there? You? Okay, fine. Are you the spokesman for the rowdy bunch up there?
Q Yes.
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, well, good.
Q Okay, first of all, I want to say that I love you.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you.
Q And I would like to see you in office for four more years.
THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Are you registered to vote?
Q No.
THE PRESIDENT: See you get to ask a question, I get to ask one. Are you registered?
Q No, not yet. And --
THE PRESIDENT: Are you 18?
Q No -- and I don't want to talk about it because it upsets me. (Laughter.)
THE PRESIDENT: Okay, good. That's a teenager -- I'm used to that. (Laughter.) I've been there. (Laughter.)
Q My question is, why did you let the International Court try our troops?
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I haven't. I'm against the International Court. (Applause.) That's a pretty darn sophisticated question. I didn't join the International Criminal Court because I don't want to put our troops in the hands of prosecutors from other nations. Look, if somebody has done some wrong in our military, we'll take care of it. We got plenty of capability of dealing with justice. (Applause.)
Very good question. Make sure you register.
Yes, ma'am. Anybody about ready to fall out? (Laughter.) Getting a little hot? Okay, I get the message.
Q Mr. President.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, ma'am.
Q I am the attorney for the Guardian Ad Litem Program here in our area. And we advocate for the best interest of children. And I know that you have a heart for our children.
THE PRESIDENT: Right.
Q And I would like to ask if you could address our children and even the young adults who are here and tell them something that you want -- that you think is important about your past four years, and your next four years --
THE PRESIDENT: Thanks, yes.
Q -- about their safety in this country.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, I appreciate that. First, my message to the children is, make right choices in life. Understand that the decisions you make as a youngster can affect you. (Applause.) My second message is, love your parents. My third message is -- seriously. My third message is, take advantage of your schooling opportunities. It's really important to learn early in life. They're -- hold up a second. (Laughter.)
You're growing up in a different time. It's probably hard for you to realize it because you don't realize what it was like, for example, to grow up in the '50s. (Laughter.) McCain and I grew up in the '50s. It was a different time. It used to be when we were younger, oceans would protect us. And we were in a pretty unique position here in America where we could say, gosh, there could be a threat gathering over there, but we didn't have to worry about it.
And that's what happened on September the 11th. I hope you just understand this, that this is a demarcation point in history, the history of our country, because it changed the whole way that we've got to look at our own security. It meant that if there is a threat somewhere, we can no longer not expect it to come here. And that's what you've got to understand. This is a different time. That's why you hear a lot of talk from those of us in office about securing the homeland. There wasn't a lot of talk about securing the homeland prior to September the 11th. We saw some terrorists threats. Nothing was done about them, hardly. But very few people really dreamt that somebody would take our own airplane and fly it into our own building and kill 3,000 people. No one -- you ask any adult that you might run into, could you envision that, and the answer was no.
And so your question is -- for the past four years what the kids have been learning is that the history of our nation changed in a way that can create difficult circumstances for people because our job is to try to tell the truth and to remind people that there's still danger.
Believe me, a President -- it would be much easier for a President if he could say, there is no danger. Gosh, the world is peaceful and everybody is doing great. But that's just not the hand we got dealt during this period of our history. So you will -- what happened the last four years -- she asked me to talk about the last four and the next four -- the last four you really begin to see this country understanding and coming to grips with the nature of the world we live in.
I think the next four years what you'll see is, because we're wiling to do hard work and stick to our word, and take action when necessary, and we've had a lot of successes, the next four years will be more peace. I think you're going to see the world changing for peace. And you've got to understand one reason why, and that's because there are just some fundamental values in life that are -- that can change societies, starting with the thing that we take for granted in America, which is freedom.
Freedom is a -- when societies become free societies and the people's aspirations are listened to, and the leaders are responsive to the people, not to their own whims, those societies become hopeful societies and the world becomes a more peaceful place. That's what you'll see over the next four years. (Applause.)
Last question, right here. This guy has a question -- okay, two more questions. The people's choice will go last.
Q Mr. President, I was wondering if you were a Christian.
THE PRESIDENT: I -- yes, I am. Now, let me talk about religion. I want you all to hear me on religion right quick. It is very important for this country to honor religion this way: You can be religious, or you can choose not to be religious, and you're equally American. (Applause.) You have a right in this country to worship freely. It is a fundamental right that must never change. And if you choose to worship the Almighty, you are equally American if you're a Christian, Jew, Muslim or Hindu. That's the precious nature of how we view religion in this country. That freedom to worship and not be condemned because of the choice you make, by man, is a -- it must be jealously guarded by any of us, Republican or Democrat or independent, who are honored with a public office.
I can't tell you what a valuable part of our past, present and future the freedom to worship as you see fit is -- it's just an important part of our country. And it's not going to change.
Great question. Final question, sir --the people's choice! (Applause.) Can you please explain why you have such a huge entourage?
Q Mr. President, OWC has a charter high school.
THE PRESIDENT: Oh, yes.
Q And this is the charter high school. (Applause.)
THE PRESIDENT: Good job.
Q The charter high school is number one in the state of Florida of all high schools. We are the "A."
THE PRESIDENT: Now, how do you know that?
Q Your test.
THE PRESIDENT: Yes, thank you very much. He didn't guess, did he?
Q What I want to know is, what is the security that we have of sharing our great experience with the rest of the country and also of keeping our charter high school and making it flourish and continue to flourish like it is?
THE PRESIDENT: Good question. First of all, let me ask you something. How many of you all are going to college? (Applause.) That's good. Good job. Secondly, high schools are chartered not by the federal government, and they will not be chartered by the federal government so long as I'm the President. That's called -- that's not local control of schools. Schools need to be locally controlled. High schools are chartered by the state, and that's where they should be, by the county, by somebody other than the federal government. (Applause.) You don't want your federal government running the schools. No, believe me. And they're not going to.
And the question is, how do you know -- I mean, how do you spread charter schools? I'll tell you how. You hold schools to account. And you put the scores out for everybody to see. And if, in fact, you're number one in the state, and I believe you are -- you wouldn't have said it in front of the national cameras if you weren't. (Applause.) People say, why is this charter school number one? That's how you begin to spread educational excellence. Not from dictates from above, but from excellence from below.
That's why the accountability systems that we're now developing at the state level, with kind of insistence from the federal government in return for extra money, that's why those accountability systems are so vital. So that a principal -- I guess you're a principal -- can stand up and say, we're number one. The President says, well, how do I know? And he says, because we measure. But as a result of an accountability system it enables the best practices to emerge.
You're obviously doing something well. You've got great teachers, I'm confident, but you're using the right curriculum. (Applause.) You're using a great curriculum. And so somebody will say, gosh, my charter school or my high school isn't doing as good as my neighbors, I better figure out why. That's what the accountability system does. It creates an atmosphere where we're raising that bar, we're challenging what I call the soft bigotry of low expectations. You know, when you lower the bar, guess what you get -- you get lousy results. I suspect you've raised those standards, haven't you. We'll keep raising the bar. (Applause.)
Listen, I want to thank everybody for coming. We're on to victory. Thanks for your help. God bless. I appreciate you coming.
If you would like to know more about our athletic recruiting service and how we can help you get recruited then please contact us. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
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