She touted the federal No Child Left Behind law as bringing up test scores but emphasized that much more needs to be done to improve education for students, particularly minority students. The needs of high school and middle school students also must be addressed, Spelling said.

One audience member cited the issue of disruptive students that prevent education of the entire class. But Spellings said issues of discipline are reserved for the state and local governments rather than being a federal issue.

"We have to figure all this out in ways that make sense," Spellings said.

Surprisingly, Spellings agreed with the statement, "It takes a village," to meet the educational needs of children, which was noted by an audience member identifying herself as a math teacher at a low-income charter school in downtown San Jose, Calif. This statement was coined by Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton in a speech addressing the needs of children when she was first lady. Clinton's full statement was, "It takes a village to raise a child."

"It does take a village," Spellings said.