Achieving King's Dream Here

Our country and Americans of color have made great strides in the 40 years since Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech before a mesmerized crowd on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. But much work remains to be done.

Only when every child in America has access to a high-quality education will King's dream be within reach. A Republican-led educational revolution and the goals expressed in President Bush's No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) are steps toward desperately needed reform.

Income levels are directly correlated with educational attainment. National statistics show a gap between the educational achievements of black and white children. The reading scores in the 2000 National Assessment of Educational Progress showed that 40 percent of white fourth graders scored at or above the proficient level, compared with 12 percent of their black peers.

One need look no farther than Memphis to see that we must continue the struggle to assure all children a high-quality education.

It is not a coincidence that approximately a third of the students in Memphis public schools do not graduate, and that 27 percent of the black residents of Memphis live below the poverty level.

For every black household here that earns more than $200,000 a year, 33 earn less than $10,000. Among the white population of Memphis, the comparable ratio shows three households with incomes under $10,000 for every one with an income higher than $200,000.

The number of white families below the poverty level in Memphis has decreased by 50 percent since 1979, while the comparable number of black families in poverty has increased by 13 percent.

Such grim statistics in the city where King's life ended should be the basis of an honest dialog and cause us to realize that we must aggressively chase - together - the dream that King so eloquently spoke of 40 years ago. It is time for life to improve for everyone in our community.

I object to the notion that the interests of black and white residents are mutually exclusive. As our community overcomes that attitude, it will enter a time of progress, prosperity and unity that will make Memphis and Shelby County the world-class community it has the potential to be - a community King would be proud of.

The cornerstone of the American dream and the key to our future prosperity locally is a solid education. The NCLB Act bolsters that goal with a revolutionary change in public education that, in Bush's words, challenges the "soft bigotry of low expectations."

The purpose of NCLB is to eliminate achievement gaps between disadvantaged students and their more affluent peers. In the past it was easy for states to hide the fact that suburban students were learning while minority students in urban areas were lagging far behind academically. Bush's landmark legislation reforms an education system that has assumed children are incapable of learning based on the color of their skin, the neighborhood they are from, or the country from which their parents emigrated.

The foundations of this long-overdue reform are accountability for results, flexibility and local control, the focusing of resources on proven educational methods, and expanded choice for parents. Title I funding for programs to raise the educational level of disadvantaged students has increased by $2.9 billion since NCLB became law in January 2002. The legislation requires money to be spent on programs that have a proven track record.

NCLB gives states and school districts unprecedented flexibility to use education funds as they see fit. Parents have the power to improve their children's education by requesting free tutoring if a school fails to make adequate progress over three consecutive years. And for the first time, parents are allowed to transfer their children from under-performing schools to better performing public and charter schools, at no cost to the family.

Educational reforms are reaching the state level as well. For the first time this year, charter schools are an option in Memphis for parents who do not want to send their children to state-designated "failing" schools where test scores have not shown enough improvement. The competition created by charter schools should force improvements in Memphis schools.

While NCLB is only one piece of a large puzzle aimed at improving life for all, it correctly focuses on equipping children for the future with a solid education.

King believed equality of opportunity and a high-quality education were the birthrights of every American child. I will be forever grateful that he fought for equality in such a powerful and peaceful way - and no less grateful that NCLB puts this belief into practice.