On the recordMarch 13, 1998
I cannot accept, and I do not understand, those who would come to the Senate and argue the state of American education and defend the status quo. American education needs to be addressed, not in the margins but in every fundamental aspect of the delivery of education to our children. Indeed, at a time in American life when so much is working, the economy is performing, Americans feel good about our country and its future, faith on any analysis, the single most compelling problem, the most fundamental dilemma that threatens the American future, quality of life, our economic performance, even our political stability, is the quality of American education. Recent reports are startling. Forty percent of our students are failing basic science. Forty percent of fourth graders are failing to test at the basic levels of reading comprehension.
Source
govinfo.gov
