Judd Gregg: “in 1989, President Bush challenged our Nation and our Nation's governors to do two things: first, to develop a strategy…”

“in 1989, President Bush challenged our Nation and our Nation's governors to do two things: first, to develop a strategy to improve our educational system and thereby the academic performance of our Nation's students and second, to work toward the goals that all children would enter school ready to learn. Well, the first part of the challenge was realized with the landmark reforms made earlier this year in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. With its passage, we have taken significant, if not monumental, steps to improve the education of our K-12 students. The second part of the challenge, that all children would enter school ready to learn remains, and has now become, the focus of our attention. The President has taken the first step by launching his ``Good start, Grow Smart'' Early Childhood Initiative. Following the President's lead, Senator Kennedy and I are today introducing the Early Care and Education Act. This legislation will hopefully bring together many of the Federal, State and local efforts already underway in the area of early education. The United States currently invests more than $18 billion per year in early childhood care and education through a variety of Federal, State, and local programs. Unfortunately, we are seeing very mixed results. Many children continue to enter school unprepared to learn, despite our best efforts.”