This Issue:

Table of Contents

Cover Story

Cover Story - Spanish Version

Mini-Lesson

Comprehension Quiz

Teacher's Guide and Worksheets

Meet the Secretary of Education

Last week, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings sat down to discuss her favorite subject, school, with TFK Kid Reporter India Pasiuk.

Is standardized testing necessary?
Absolutely. I know sometimes kids don't like to take tests, but it's one of those things, just like going to the doctor. You have to have your temperature taken. They can't fix what's wrong with you if they don't know what made you sick or what you need. No Child Left Behind, the law that I implement, uses standardized tests to find out how kids are doing.

Some teachers say that No Child Left Behind forces them to focus too much on reading and math. What is your take on that?
You can't learn history or social studies or much of anything else if you don't know how to read. We have to make sure everybody is a reader before we start talking about what to do about other subjects.

Why have some schools lost music and arts programs?
What I'm hearing around the country is that educators are starting to realize again that a well-rounded curriculum that includes art and music and other things really helps get academic results. When I was in school, back in the Dark Ages, we did reading, math, music, art. It's not an either-or thing. Smart educators know that you can do all those things and teach kids to read.

How does your job help me as a student?
I have a big microphone as the secretary of education. I talk to a lot of people about what kids need and how important education is. I'm the first mother of school children to have this job-if you can believe that. So I am living it every day, like your own mother is.

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