Education
Accomplished! “Childrens do learn”
By
John Breneman
Mission accomplished! As recently as three years ago, America’s
education system was in a shambles. Millions of childrens
did not even know that humans
and fish can peacefully coexist.
President George W. Bush was so concerned that, on Jan. 23,
2004, he warned, "the
illiteracy level of our children are appalling."
Mr. Bush had been aware of the problem since Jan. 11, 2000,
when he observed at a South Carolina campaign rally, "Rarely
is the question asked: is our children learning?"
But as his dad’s vice president, Dan
Quayle, learned at a sixth-grade New Jersey spelling
bee in 1992, education can easily become a political hot potatoe.
The Washington pundits misunderestimated Mr. Bush’s ability
to get the job done, but in January 2002 he signed into law
his landmark education plan: No Childs Left Behind.
Sure, there were critics. Some say the president has shortchanged
his program by more than $50 billion. But Mr. Bush knows that
childrens need a good education so they can grow up to get
a heckuva job and put
food on their families.
In today’s global war on terrorism economy, he reasons, we
must help childrens realize their dreams of becoming soldiers,
oil executives or OB/GYN doctors, free to practice
their love. Childrens, Mr. Bush understands, must
be given the tools they need to compete for those good-paying
jobs on the Internets.
So it was heartening to hear President Bush tell the nation
— during his speech
last Wednesday urging Congress to reauthorize No Childs Left
Behind — that, when standards are high and results are measured,
"Childrens
do learn."
Notably, Mr. Bush’s vision has also fueled an education initiative
in the extremist Muslim world. In fact, many gifted first-
and second-graders in Iraq and beyond are already hating America
at a ninth-grade level, thanks to a policy called No Junior
Terrorist Left Behind.
Related stories:
Bush
suffers from Iraq-tile Dysfunction
— Jan. 2, 2006
Critics
praise president’s
"breathing space" for Iraq speech
— Jan. 15, 2007
President
Bush assures nation:
"I think about Iraq every day"
— June 27, 2005
Bush
as commander-in-cheek — April 5, 2006