A call to action on early-childhood education.
Obama can chart a course for U.S. academic excellence
This month, the test scores of Chinese students sent another shock wave through a zeitgeist already obsessed with national decline: Are they getting ahead of us in everything? Will China rule the world in 30 years? Is the United States destined to a future of limited horizons and lowered expectations?
On a widely respected standardized test administered to 15-year-olds in 65 countries, students from Shanghai and Hong Kong ranked at or near the top in reading, math, and science. American students came in 23d and 24th in most subjects. "We can quibble, or we can face the brutal truth that we're being out-educated," Education Secretary Arne Duncan told the New York Times.
That was another blow to a nation already struggling with the aftermath of the Great Recession. Our confidence is shattered, our faith in the future diminished.
But there is also good news hidden behind the gloomy headlines: We know what it takes to regain our economic hegemony and reinvigorate the American dream. And it's all about education - specifically, early-childhood
Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/opinion/20101219_A_call_to_action_on_early-childhood_education_.html#ixzz18ZRlYRr0
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