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Iowa Governor Spouts Hot Air


Waterloo, Ia. - Gov. Tom Vilsack said he expects the Waterloo community of educators, community leaders, parents and students to succeed in closing the achievement gap in the performance of black students by implementing the strategy laid out by the task force he created last year.

"I expect success," Vilsack told the audience at Logan Middle School on Tuesday. "The changes will be incremental, not dramatic, but five to 10 years down the road when you look back, you will see the change."

He emphasized that global competition has upped the stakes for American educators and students alike. He said Iowa students will not only have to compete with other states, but they have to be prepared to enter the international marketplace.

"In order for America to continue to be an economic power, and a voice for human rights and change in the world, we need to have the best educated people."

He stressed that excellence in education comes with appropriate resources, role models and commitment. He said the global world we live in requires educators and communities to re-examine their priorities and to refocus their efforts.

"The competition is stiff and only the brightest, the most creative, the most innovative will succeed," he said.

Vilsack said that this success is contingent upon the concerted efforts of the families, the schools, the state and the federal government.

Finding money for education continues to be a battle. He suggested that in order to adequately fund education, it may be necessary to revisit the tax reduction strategy and make sure that it is working, he said.

He said the disproportionate numbers of incarcerated blacks is unacceptable and should be addressed with an urgency by the community through involvement and by the state by providing adequate resources.

"We've had our battles, sometimes with educators, sometimes with our children," said Henry Bevel, a Waterloo lawyer, and a father of two.

"African-American people cannot expect other people to prepare their children to compete against the children of the people who are preparing them. Our kids are defined by the worst of the group, not by the best of the group."



— Anelia Dimitrova
Vilsack expects success in closing achievement gap for minorities
Des Moines Register
2004-03-03
http://desmoinesregister.com/news/stories/c4780927/23693926.html

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