by KYW's Dr. Marciene Mattleman

Twenty-five years ago this month, the 1983 report, “A Nation at Risk,” shocked the public, recalls a commentary article in Education Week.
 
Calling our educational performance mediocre and suggesting that “we have allowed this to happen to ourselves,” today Bruce Shaw believes that despite No Child Left Behind, little has changed and that we are still at risk.

What do our presidential candidates say about education? Not as much as they should! In the same publication, it’s noted that not since the 1980 and 1984 elections, has education been focal.

Despite our low ranking internationally in math and science and the large numbers of kids who can’t read at any proficiency levels, education has taken a back seat.

William Galston, a senior fellow at Brookings Institution, instead calls the dominant election issues “peace and prosperity.” Polls show that education is in the middle of the list of voter concerns, although number one for Hispanics.

While much educational decision making is done at the state level, it must remain high on our national priorities. The oft quoted phrase, “Kids are our future,” must be more than a slogan.