Albert Shanker knows better. The president of the American Federation of Teachers is usually one of the sensible voices on education. But he blew it the other day when he told a reporter that "Teaching kids values won't help them learn to read or write."

Baloney. Research confirms what every reasonable observer knows: Schools with a civilized atmosphere, where values like personal responsibility, respect for others, and hard work are taken seriously, get academic results.Shanker's skepticism was directed at the Cornerstone Schools just opening in Detroit. These interfaith, inner-city schools are predicated on the assumption that a strong value system, including nondenominational religious instruction, will help children achieve.

Parents agree. They quickly oversubscribed the three new schools, founded by Detroit's Roman Catholic archbishop, Baptist ministers and other religious leaders.

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Here's hoping Albert Shanker will be around at the end of this school year to comment on Cornerstone's early results.

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