As the next generation of Americans prepare to compete in the global economy, we must give our children the best opportunities. Education equals prosperity. Communities with highly educated populations enjoy low levels of poverty, infectious diseases, and unemployment rates, and higher incomes and mobility. Investing in public education is a solid insurance plan for our nation's quality of life. Right now we have the chance to increase the return on that insurance plan by hiring 100,000 more teachers nationally.
Education is like a math problem with children, parents, schools and teachers as the variables.
We have to be able to include everyone in the process in order to be successful. One of the greatest components of this public education equation is the ratio of teachers to students. Studies show that smaller classes allow teachers to provide more personal attention to students and spend less time on discipline. Smaller class sizes in the earlier grades are the key to a student's success. I am especially pleased by Vice President Al Gore's proclamation to fight for a 1 to 20 teacher to student ratio in every class room in every grade.