Pres. Reagan's State of the Union speeches: on Education

Establish education savings accounts as college incentive

1. a quality education initiative to encourage a substantial upgrading of math and science instruction through block grants to the States;
2. establishment of education savings accounts that will give middle and lower-income families an incentive to save for their children's college education and, at the same time, encourage a real increase in savings for economic growth;
3. passage of tuition tax credits for parents who want to send their children to private or religiously affiliated schools;
4. a constitutional amendment to permit voluntary school prayer. God should never have been expelled from America's classrooms in the first place.

Tuition tax credits: avoid double payment for private school

I will continue to press for tuition tax credits to expand opportunities for families and to soften the double payment for those paying public school taxes and private school tuition. Our proposal would target assistance to low- and middle-income families. Just as more incentives are needed within our schools, greater competition is needed among our schools. Without standards and competition, there can be no champions, no records broken, no excellence in education or any other walk of life.

Replace obsession with dollars with commitment to quality

As a nation we do, of course, spend heavily on education--more than we spend on defense. Opening up the teaching profession to all qualified candidates, merit pay--so that good teachers get A's as well as apples--and stronger curriculum--these imaginative reforms are making common sense the most popular new kid in America's schools.

But the most important thing we can do is to reaffirm that control of our schools belongs to the States, local communities and, most of all, to the parents and teachers.