This report, like the previous three special reports on the baby boom echo, seeks to alert the American people that now is the time to invest in our nation's young people. We need to do this by expanding pre-K opportunities, building more schools, hiring more well-prepared teachers and keeping them in the field, and setting higher standards for all students.

As I visit schools across the country local educators are often surprised to discover that they are not alone in confronting the problem of overcrowded schools and school buildings that are wearing out. Across the country from Broward County, Florida, dubbed the portable classroom capital of America, to Los Angeles, California, which is preparing to build over 50 new schools, the need to build more schools is immediate and real.

The fact of the matter is simply this: There is no end in sight to the number of children entering our nation's schools. This nation has a rare opportunity, in this time of peace and prosperity, to accept the challenge of educating the millions of young people entering our schools this year and those who will be entering our schools for years to come. America's schools are full of optimistic young people who deserve the best education possible. Now is not the time to be short-sighted.

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