Repository: UIHistories Project: Dedication - Library Sixth Stack [PAGE 5]

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— From an international perspective, and it's ever more an international world these days, levels of achievement of students in the United States do not compare favorably with those of students from other industrialized nations. — Finally, only in the last two years have we begun to see a turnaround in the decline in scholastic aptitude test scores which were dropping significantly in this nation beginning twenty years ago. The nation has not been sitting idly by and simply reflecting on those serious trends. Nor have we in Illinois been inactive in the search for solutions to our educational problems. — 46 states, including Illinois, are working on comprehensive plans to improve public schools. — 44 states, including Illinois, have stiffened high school graduation requirements. — 13 states have passed tax increases specifically to help fund greater advances in education. — 27 states have lengthened the school day or school year, reduced class size, and provided state funding to increase instructional time. — 29 states have tightened teacher certification. While Illinois has not been standing still, neither have we been fully participating in the wave of educational reform which hopefully is sweeping our nation. I believe we must do more than we have done to help secure our future, and our children's future. And I believe that revitalization of education in Illinois from our elementary and secondary schools to our university campuses, must be the most important state priority in 1985...nothing is more important than that. No other issue facing Illinois is as important, but in terms of the quality of the very foundation on which our children will build their lives, nothing is more important.

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