Even In A Time Of Fiscal Austerity,

State Governments Generate Less Revenue In A Recession. As State Leaders Struggle To Make Up For Lost Revenue, Legislatures Tend To Cut Funding For Higher Education. Colleges, In Turn, Answer These Funding Cuts With Tuition Hikes.

The Arts Significantly Boost Student Achievement, Reduce Discipline Problems, And Increase The Odds Students Will Go On To Graduate From College. As First Lady Michelle Obama Sums Up, Both She And The President Believe 'strongly That Arts Education Is Essential For Building Innovative Thinkers Who Will Be Our Nation's Leaders For Tomorrow.'

I Think It's My Job To Tell The Truth.

To Encourage More Top-caliber Students To Choose Teaching, Teachers Should Be Paid A Lot More, With Starting Salaries More In The Range Of $60,000 And Potential Earnings Of As Much As $150,000.

We Need To Lengthen The School Day. We Need To Lengthen The School Year. Our Calendar Is Based Upon The Agrarian Economy. Children In India And China Are Going To School 25, 30, 35 More Days A Year. They're Just Working Harder Than Us. So, We Need More Time, Particularly For Disadvantaged Children, Who Aren't Getting Those Supports At Home.