Shaky Economy Calls for Firm Commitment to Education

We are in the midst of an historic presidential election, and storm clouds are gathering over our economy.

It's time for the candidates to get serious about education.

I'll admit I'm biased about the importance of education. I believe that universal public education is the major reason that the United States enjoyed the world's greatest economy in the 20th century.

Now it's a new century, and we must put education back at the top of our national agenda. While issues like national security and health care are certainly important, our nation's future strength and prosperity depend on providing a good education to the 50 million children in our public classrooms.

Our nation's greatest resource isn't oil or coal under the ground, military might, fertile farmland, or our great cities. Our greatest economic asset is the energy and ingenuity of the American people. If we don't invest in education and develop our human capital, we won't be able to sustain our standard of living.

So far during this campaign, the candidates for president haven't said much about education. Most of the discussion that has taken place has focused on fixing the so-called "No Child Left Behind" law, rather than any long-term vision about how to prepare our children to succeed in the 21st century.

Make no mistake - No Child Left Behind must be fixed. Congress got in wrong in 2002 with an over-emphasis on rigid testing. Now they have to get it straight in '08.

But once that law is fixed, we must renew the commitment to public education that led to milestones like free universal high school and the GI Bill.

We must recognize that not all students are the same, and address their individual needs. More than three decades ago the federal government promised to pay 40 percent of the cost of educating children with special needs. Today, less than half that amount is actually being provided.

We must level the playing field by giving every child an opportunity to attend a quality pre-K program, so they can be ready to learn on the first day of school.

We must make class sizes smaller. The best way to ensure that no child is left behind is to give each student individual attention, and that can only happen when classes are of a manageable size.

We must secure adequate and equitable funding for our public schools. No state has achieved adequate and equitable funding despite years of court cases and education reform proposals. It is the necessary first step toward building schools' capacity to do their job and giving every child a fair chance to succeed.

We must make higher education affordable for every student who wants the opportunity to attend college or a vocational program.

And we must recognize the importance of the educators who work with our children every day by paying them a professional salary. That is the only way to attract and retain the great teachers our children deserve.

This presidential campaign has been going on for a long time, and there is still a long way to go. As voters, we can't sit back and passively wait to be stupefied by an onslaught of advertising. We must demand that the candidates articulate their vision for public education in the 21st century. That is the only economic plan that is sure to pay long-term dividends.