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Raising Standards, Lifting Children

Everyone who spends time with children learns a vivid lesson: children want to meet the expectations of adults. If these expectations are low, children will miss their true potential. When expectations are high, amazing progress can happen. Teachers, parents, grandparents, and neighbors should all challenge children to read well, to do advanced math, to learn history, and to understand science.

Under President Bush's plan, states will set high standards in the core subjects of reading and math. Wellcrafted and thoughtful standards should explain in plain language exactly what students are expected to know and be able to do by the end of each grade. They should set clear expectations so that teachers, parents, and communities can all understand what should occur in the classroom. Families can and must participate in setting these standards. Once they are in place, families should ask their children's schools to lay out clearly what the standards are and what each child should be learning.

President Bush believes that every child can learn and that every child deserves to be challenged. Families should encourage and challenge children to learn more every day. If your child fails at a task, don't make excuses—make a plan for accomplishing the task and work toward it together. Insist on high standards from your child, your child's school, and yourself.

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Last updated—December 17, 2004 (jer)