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Sec of Ed: Beyond my mistake, my real frustration (union heads oppose all educational reform)*** Education should be about children, not partisan politics. Yet, sadly, there has been a lot of political posturing on this issue lately. It may be inevitable during an election year.

I admit that last week I, too, ratcheted up the debate with a very poor word choice to describe the leadership of the nation's largest teachers union. I chose my words carelessly, and I am truly sorry for the hurt and confusion they caused.

I especially want to be clear on one point. As ill-considered as my words were, my disappointment was directed only -- and I mean only -- at the union heads in Washington who have been opposing any and all educational reforms, no matter what the consequences to our children. I have the utmost respect for our nation's teachers: They work hard and have dedicated their lives to children.

My comment was born out of frustration at the depth of the problem in our schools. Let's look at the facts: The Nation's Report Card (the National Assessment of Educational Progress, or NAEP) shows that only one in six African-Americans and one in five Hispanics are proficient in reading by the time they are seniors. NAEP math scores are even worse: Only 3 percent of blacks and 4 percent of Hispanics are testing at the "proficient" level. No wonder a recent study claimed a high school diploma has become nothing more than a "certificate of attendance."

Is our system as a whole preparing the next generation of workers for the global economy? As Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan noted recently, "We need to be forward-looking in order to adapt our educational system to the evolving needs of the economy and the realities of our changing society ... It is an effort that should not be postponed." That's why I am so passionate about making these historic reforms and drawing attention to the issue.

The old system -- the status quo -- is one we must fight to change. President Bush and Congress understood the urgency of the situation and set in motion a process to fix the problem: the No Child Left Behind Act. The law requires schools to give all students a quality education, provides accountability and choice for parents and insists that teachers be highly qualified to teach -- in other words, that they be knowledgeable in the subjects they are teaching -- which is just plain common sense. ***

Some personal thoughts at the end of Black History Month*** What disturbed me the most was the Bush bashing that occured from time to time by different panel members. This gathering was conducted in Miami near for the liberal ground zero of election 2000. Julia Hare a motivational speaker took her swipe at the President by blaming him for all the ills and plight of black Americans. Shelia Jackson Lee was there and since she is a member of congress she got in her shots. The most disturbing was Dr Eric Michael Dyson from the University of Pennsylvania. This man has several Ph.D's and has the sense of a grapefruit. Here is a man that has pulled himself out of the most dire circumstances though hard work and determination, published many books and is hailed in academia as a great thinker. This man goes and talks about how white supremacy is still keeping black people down. He even blasted his own employer the University of Pennsylvania. Someone should tell the good doctor to wake up stop hanging with the Gangsta Rappers and step into the real world. This learned man condemmed the system by which he himself has gained success. He also said that the White House was full of anti-intellectuals and the President was dumb. Well now that is typical liberal speak and we know that Dr. Rice is a member of MENSA and the President along with the Sec of State have their respective MBA's.

Anti-intellecutal?! Hardly, what I saw was the practice of Intellectual Apartheid amongst these thinkers. There was not one notable black conservative on the panel. For all the talk about equality there was no chance for equality of thought no intellectual diversity. All of these successful people have gotten to where they are by espousing conservative princples of hard work, education and pulling yourself up by your bootstraps. This is what Booker T Washington and Frederick Douglas espoused for the race. All I was looking for was some truth which came out at times. Perhaps the island of hope in that entire morass was Dr Ben Carson the noted Pediatric Neurosurgeon. He said that the Jews both conservative and liberal can argue an issue be diametricly opposed but they will come together in areas that have a direct impact upon their communities.***