Underneath Words

David Whitt of Hancock, N.Y., remembers checking out Cornell University five years ago as he pondered his college choice. But the school lost some of its luster when he saw the $40,000 price tag. Indeed, most of the schools Whitt, now 22, hoped to attend were just as expensive. "I didn't want to put my dad through financial hardship," he says of the $20,000 the government figured that his father, a certified public accountant, and mother, a math teacher, should be able to contribute to his education each year (U.S. News & World Report Sept 6, 2004 v137 i7 p70). It is very popular example of how students think about their education. They would better get work and support their parents with money, instead of going to college. And that happens in our contemporary life, when education is number one question on the work interview.
President Bush offered his answer for public education in the No Child Left Behind Act. The law rightly stresses a high quality of education, regardless of who the students may be or their circumstances. The approach focuses on teaching, testing and intervention but lacks the funds to put _ and keep _ enough highly qualified teachers in classrooms.…