Goals Panel Goes 0 for 8.

A decade after a historic national summit that established eight educational goals to accomplish by 2000, not one has been met.

The final report of the National Education Goals Panel shows that despite efforts to improve the nation's schools, there is still a lot of work to be done. The panel, led by then-President George Bush and the nation's governors, was formed in 1989. Together they devised a long-term list of eight goals, including school safety, teacher quality and making the United States the world leader in math and science education. Parental participation and adult literacy also were among the goals that will eventually be used as the foundation for a national framework to promote high achievement and equal educational opportunities for all students.

The panel has made progress, however. Forty-nine states have increased the percentage of special needs children enrolled in preschool and 12 states have reduced their dropout rates, according the The Washington Post.

"We're not where we want to be--by a long shot--and we have to pick up the pace," U.S. Education Secretary Richard Riley told the newspaper in December. "The goals we have set are like a North Star. They give us a sense of direction." The panel may extend its goals deadline to 2010.

To read the full report, visit www.negp.gov.