Bill Clinton: “I do, too. And that's what this is about. So I want to make sure all of our children are treated fairly. I want to make…”

“I do, too. And that's what this is about. So I want to make sure all of our children are treated fairly. I want to make sure that all of them have the tools they need to achieve what they need to achieve. But I have found what I see here: When you expect high achievement from students, they always give it to you. And when you have low expectations of people, that's a mistake. So I believe in you, and I believe in your future. These tests that we propose to give are voluntary. No school or school district will be forced to use them if they don't want to. But they will give us a sense of a national level of achievement in reading for fourth graders, in math for eighth graders. They'll be developed by an independent, bipartisan board. There's no politics in this, only our children. But let me say this in closing: I'm not afraid of what America's children can do. I believe in what America's children can do. I'm not disturbed by the fact that we're becoming a more diverse country. I'm excited by it. After all, we're going to be living in a global society where we'll be tied to other nations by economic and cultural ties. And the fact that America is a great democracy that has people from everyplace else living here, as citizens, making their own way, is a good thing. I imagine this student body here looks a little different than it would have if we'd had this picture taken 10 years ago. That's a good thing. We should be happy about our differences. But no matter how different we are, we all need to be able to read; we all need to be able to do math; we all need to be able to learn together. I am determined to see that you have a good future. But you have to do your part, which is to learn. And the only way you can do that is if your parents and the educators say, ``Here is the standard. Here's what you should be learning.'' I believe in your future. I have high expectations for you, and I see today that you believe in your future. Do you believe all children can learn to read? Students. Yes!”