The Press of Atlantic City - March 18, 2009

http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/147/story/431775.html

President Barack Obama's budget calls for a 13 percent increase for education over the previous administration. While President Bush promoted No Child Left Behind, he never fully funded it.

Scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed that our 15-year-olds trailed their peers in both science and math in the 30 countries tested. They scored 11 points below average on the science test, and 23 countries had higher scores in math.

The National Endowment for the Arts also reported that 12th-grade reading skills dropped significantly between 1992 and 2005. That translates into a population incapable of reading simple contracts, less-skilled employees entering the workplace and less-qualified soldiers entering the military.

Obama is investing in education from pre-school through more affordable college for all. This means reforming NCLB, more teachers, better facilities and cheaper student loans.

We lag behind the rest of the world in education because we have failed to see it for what it really is - a matter of national security. Obama has it right.

NICK REINA

Milmay