Well,
the same is true for our country. When we sacrifice our commitment to education, we’re sacrificing our future. And we can’t let that happen. Our kids deserve better. Our country deserves better.And
over the course of March, what we’re calling Education Month around the White House, I’m going to be traveling the country, and Arne is going to be traveling the country, and we’re going to be talking to parents and students and educators about what we need to do to achieve reform, promote responsibility, and deliver results when it comes to education. (Applause.)
And I decided to come here to Miami Central to kick off Education Month -- (applause) -- because you’re doing what I challenged states to do shortly after I took office, and that’s turning America’s lowest-performing schools around. This is something that hasn’t received as much attention as it should. But it could hardly be more important to our country.
Right now, there are about 2,000 high schools in America -– about 12 percent of the total number of high schools in America –- that produce nearly half of the young people who drop out of school. You’ve got 2,000 schools -- about half the dropouts come out of those 2,000 schools. And we know these schools are often found in rural areas or in big cities like Miami. Many of these schools have lots of Haitian Americans and African Americans, Latino and other minority students.
And Miami Central used to be one of these schools. Used to. (Applause.) But it’s important for us to remember where we’ve been so we know where we need to go. I mean, this used to be a place where the problems on the streets followed kids into the classrooms. It was hard for young people to learn; where the dream of college was out of reach for too many; where there was a culture of failure that brought everybody down.
Now, turning around these schools isn’t easy. A lot of people used to argue, well, all they need is more money. But money is not alone going to do the job. We also have to reform how things are done. It isn’t easy to turn around an expectation of failure and make that into an expectation of excellence. In fact, it’s one of the hardest things you can do. And there is always plenty of naysayers（否定者，拒绝者） out there who will say it’s not even possible. Who say that turning around a failing school means just throwing good money after bad. Who say too many of these schools are beyond repair. Who say we ought to give up on those schools and focus on places that have more breaks and have a little more going for them.
Here’s what I say. I say I am not willing to give up on any child in America. (Applause.) I say I"m not willing to give up on any school in America. (Applause.) I do not accept failure here in America. (Applause.) I believe the status quo（现状） is unacceptable; it is time to change it. And it’s time we came together -- just like Jeb and I are doing today -– coming from different parties but we come together not as Democrats or Republicans, as Americans –- to lift up all of our schools -- (applause) -- and to prepare students like you for a 21st century economy. (Applause.) To give every child in America a chance to make the most of their God-given potential.
Now, the good news is we know what works. We can see it in schools and communities across the country every day. We see it in a place like Bruce Randolph School in Denver. This was rated one of the worst schools in Colorado three years ago but last May graduated 97 percent of its seniors. (Applause.) And by the way, most of them are the first in their family to go to college. (Applause.)
We can see it in Mastery Charter School in Philadelphia, where four times as many students are proficient（精通） in math, and violence is down 80 percent compared to just a few years ago. (Applause.)
And of course, we can see it right here at Miami Central. (Applause.) A little more than a decade ago, when the state exams started, Miami Central scored a D in each of its first five years. Then it scored an F in each of the five years after that. Halls were literally littered with garbage. One of the buildings here was called the Fish Bowl because it was always flooded. (Laughter.) In one survey, only a third of all students said they felt safe at school. Think about that -- only a third.
Today, Mrs. Turner, all the outstanding students here, all the students here, you’ve put those days behind you. (Applause.) You’ve put those days behind you. (Applause.) I mean, I know that -- I know you still face challenges. I know you still face challenges; things aren't perfect. But over the past five years, you started to excel academically. Performance has skyrocketed by more than 60 percent in math, about 40 percent in writing. (Applause.) Graduation rates went from 36 percent -- now they’re at 63 percent. And I expect them to be at 100 percent. (Applause.)
You are proving the naysayers wrong –- you are proving that progress is possible. It’s possible because of your principal; it’s possible because of all the great teachers that are going above and beyond for their students, including the Teach for America Corps members who are here today. (Applause.) We're proud of them. (Applause.) To all of the teachers here, I hope you will stay with the Miami Central family as long as you can –- (applause) -- because this community has already benefited so much from your teaching and your mentorship（导师制） and your dedication.
You know, I was reading the other day an article -- this is just a couple days ago -- in The New York Times about how teachers were just feeling beat up, just not feeling as if folks understood how much work went into teaching and how dedicated they were to the success of their students. And so I want to be very clear here. We are proud of what you guys do each and every day. (Applause.) We are proud of what you do each and every day. (Applause.) We need to honor teachers.
AUDIENCE: Yes!
