Recognizing and helping teachers who are doing a fantastic job. (President's Message).

As President Bush's education agenda continues to be discussed, more attention is being focused on the use of a voucher system. The unfortunate outcome of this focus is a continued lament about the education system in the United States and a degrading of teachers. While it is true that not all children are achieving to capacity, it is also true that many teachers have been able to turn their school achievement ratings around and their students are achieving at grade level or above. Even these excellent teachers do need books, supplies, and other resources in order to achieve such success for their students.

Every Friday that I am in town, I volunteer to read to a 2nd-grade class in a local primary school. Every time I hear teachers being criticized, I wish that the critics could visit this school. The activity level is high and the energized children are achieving at a high level. In fact, this school was one of 14 recognized Renaissance Schools in the United States last year; many of the teachers were recognized as Renaissance teachers. This recognition was based on the reading achievement levels of the children in grades 1 through 3.

Whenever I arrive at the school, I find children in the hallways, on the floor, in chairs, and at tables; they are busy reading or working on projects. The hallways are lined with children's work, including stories, weather charts, and other projects they have produced. It is truly heartening to walk through the halls, observe the children, and read their work. Sometimes it appears that they would rather continue reading their books than listen to me. When they come to the reading circle, however, they listen intently and are very responsive to my questions and comments. They sometimes amaze me with how much they already know.

This is not some special kind of school. It is one of three primary schools in a district that is over 50 percent minority (in a town whose total minority population is much smaller), with a high number of children designated to receive free lunch. The demographics of the families range from poverty level to the higher tax brackets. Many of the children are raised in government project housing. The teachers in this school are doing a fantastic job of educating children from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

This is just one example of the fine teaching and learning that is going on in schools around the United States and in other parts of the world. We need to make these examples known to the public on a continuous basis. If we don't, the necessary resources for creating good learning environments will be further eroded.