Bush's quest for character improvement Bush's broad education plan, which has been central to his presidential campaign since he delivered three key policy speeches last fall, calls for the establishment of education standards and a testing regimen for each of the nation's public schools. The government would then review the extent of viability of the local tests. Bush calls for a strict regimen of accountability from school districts and individual schools during a roundtable meeting on education August 28 in Portland, Maine The testing period, Bush says, should last some three years. If poorly performing schools do not effect a marked improvement in student reading levels and comprehensive test scores, they'll have their federal money yanked away at the end of those three years. We should set high standards and expect the best.
Low standards equals low results.
Bush has also called for tripling federal funding for character education, arguing that not only should discipline and disposition be improved in the schools to aid learning, but the creation of caring, well-rounded people should be a significant goal of the teaching community. In a speech delivered in New Hampshire last November, Bush said schools should be encouraged to create academic programs based on strong values and character building. These programs, he said, need not be based on religious preference, though children of various religious faiths should be allowed to demonstrate their devotion on school property, during school hours. But I think these things need to be questioned. Children need to be taught skills to avoid things like schoolyard fights.