Three cheers for Mundelein Police Chief Raymond Rose and Lake County Circuit Judge Daniel Shanes. Their foresight and cooperation are the absolute key to getting our country where it needs to be.
The United States is no longer the world leader in secondary education. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development places the United States 18th among the 36 nations examined. Out of 34 countries, the U.S. ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. Those scores are all higher than those from 2003 and 2006, but far behind the highest scoring countries, including South Korea, Finland and Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai in China and Canada.
Responding to the grim figures, President Obama has set a goal for the U.S. to have the highest proportion of students graduating from college in 2020.
OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurria cited ongoing evaluations, an emphasis on the importance of education, and a curriculum that is relevant to everyday life as reasons for the Chinese success.
For the third time, the police chief and judge recognized 18 eighth-grade students selected by administrators at Fremont, Carl Sandburg and West Oak schools who have shown improvement academically and behaviorally through the school year. Chief Rose said, “Not every teen is on the honor role or excels in sports, but we need to show support of those kids who are trying to improve day to day.”
How many of our next generation will fall through the cracks? We as a nation, are going to be as strong as our weakest links. The top-tier students will rise to the occasion. The others will learn through hard knocks. Mentoring, encouraging, rewarding those, who continue to grow with their skills and abilities are the only way for America to rise the ranks and succeed in a global economy.
Hats off to Mundelein to show the way.
Randy F. Gollay
Buffalo Grove
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