AGENDA: Build an educated and skilled workforce that can compete and prevail in the knowledge economy.

In-Depth: Fix the Basics

The drive to make good on Louisville’s commitment to ensuring a solid education for all children accelerated with measurable progress. The Every1Reads initiative to ensure that every child is reading on grade level within four years has produced tangible gains, despite disappointing second-year results. Significant improvement occurred among children in southern and western neighborhoods, where progress has been slow. An equally ambitious challenge from the GE Foundation calls for adopting world-class standards to transform math and science education.

All the data, however, underscore the persistent academic gaps between races and social classes that plague American education. Although quality preschool is widely regarded as one key to reducing such disparities, the percentage of 3- and 4-year olds in any form of preschool has fallen.