I'm amazed at some of the remarks I'm hearing about George W. Bush and Al Gore. Yet, the policy differences between the two candidates are so stark that the direction America takes will be vastly different depending on the choice we make on November 7. Look at their proposals for education. Al Gore talks about building on the progress we've made in the past eight years. We've come a long way, but we still have a long way to go before every child gets a topnotch education.
Student achievement is up in urban districts where it was flat for years.
Gore says the federal government should continue this work with states and districts and invest in new programs that students and schools need to accelerate their progress toward meeting higher standards. We're already seeing how the thousands of qualified teachers, hired under a new federal program, have enabled schools to lower class size. Consider school accountability. Everyone is for it, and Bush talks a lot about it. But the accountability he calls for is tantamount to punishment.