But those are state issues. Some states, including Georgia, are already addressing them satisfactorily. Georgia is among 12 states already testing young pupils to determine their academic weak spots. The proposed reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Schools Act includes funding for reading programs and teacher training, as well mandating that states annually test pupils to see if they are learning to read. Raising money and spending it on public schools are best left to state and local authorities.
All states have the resources or the taxing authority to address public education requirements.
We endorsed the Bush education plan, however, because we liked his boldness in moving toward experimentation with school choice. But now that Bush has raised the white flag and surrendered to opponents of school choice, a different strategy is needed. Without a school choice experiment, we return to our argument that all federal education dollars should be combined into block grants and sent back to the states to spend as state and local school officials see fit. Washington doesn't have any particular new insights that are helpful to anybody. The Title I grant program was Bush's best early shot at innovation in education.