I recently joined up with Education Secretary Arne Duncan and the Reverend Al Sharpton to push for dramatic reform in our educational system. We have launched a tour that will take us to Atlanta, Baltimore, and New Orleans these next few months.
But this isn’t new—education reform has been a priority of mine for a long time. In 1983 the Reagan administration warned in “A Nation at Risk” that our schools were crippling our national security and limiting the safety, security, and prosperity of American children. In 2001, I served on the Hart-Rudman Commission that warned the failure of math and science education was the second greatest threat to our national security after a weapon of mass destruction.
Sadly, 26 years of reform effort have failed to achieve the progress we need. My purpose for joining Secretary Duncan and Rev. Al Sharpton is to bring all of our efforts together to formulate a “tripartisan” plan for arriving at a breakthrough in education.
This is a national security effort and deserves the support of all Americans. If we are going to build that broad coalition, with the support of both parties and Congress and the president, we have to work to work through our differences and come together to help create a brighter future for America’s children.