The disturbing survey was conducted for the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, as part of a study on school readiness, the first of six goals in President Bush’s education strategy. Ernest Boyer, president of the foundation, says that largely because of poverty, too many children “are already shockingly restricted even before their first formal lesson.” The foundation recommends better health care, quality preschools and programs to educate parents. But Boyer said that none of these efforts will succeed without leadership from the White House, including a commitment of more federal money to early-childhood programs and an aggressive timetable. “If we can’t find a way to wedge children into the nation’s budget,” Boyer says, “then the country’s future is truly at risk.” And children will pay the price.
