As President Clinton prepares to take his only child to college at Stanford, it's fair to ask whether the state of education in America is better than when he came into office.
More than any other single issue, Clinton has chosen "education" as the area in which he most wants to leave his mark.When asked, he argues that he has made a difference. First of all, he cites the roughly $40 billion in the new tax legislation designed to benefit education, including $31 billion for tax credits to offset the cost of post-high school education.
He is proud of the $1,500-a-year "Hope Scholarship" tax credit for each of the first two years of college. In an era when $25,000 is a common price tag for a year of private liberal arts education, that may not sound like much. But for a community college, it could be a big boost for a student struggling to afford more education.
Effective for tuition paid after Dec. 31, couples earning up to $50,000 can deduct up to $1,500 for each child. The credit begins phasing out after $50,000 and ends completely at an income level of $80,000.
For the second two years, there is a "Lifetime Learning" tax credit for tuition paid after June 30, 1998. It will be a maximum of $1,000 and increases to $2,000 after the year 2002 and also phases out at the above income levels.
There's also a deduction, up to $2,500 a year, for student loan interest. In 1998, the deduction begins at $1,000 and reaches $2,500 by 2001.
And some taxpayers will benefit now from an exemption for employer-paid tuition that's extended from Dec. 31, 1996, through May 2000. Also, starting next year parents may save up to $500 a year per child in education savings accounts using after-tax dollars but with tax-free withdrawals. Withdrawals from state prepaid tuition plans also will be tax-free.
Many critics argue that such credits and deductions will merely drive up the cost of tuition even higher. Clinton says that won't happen. In a year or two, we'll know.
Meanwhile, Clinton is taking credit for the nation's fourth graders now being above the world average in math and science although the nation's eighth graders are not.
Of 26 countries participating in the Third International Math and Science Study, the United States was second only to Korea in science performance scores for fourth-graders and eighth in math scores.
Of eighth-graders in 41 countries who participated in the study, Americans ranked 28th in math and 17th in science, mainly because most countries teach at a higher level than American schools. U.S. students have weak analytical skills although new SAT score results for 1.1 million high school students show that on mathematical reasoning the average is 511 out of a perfect score of 800, three points higher than last year's and a 26-year high.
But verbal scores stayed the same - 505.
Clinton argues that if national uniform testing and tougher curricula are introduced, math and verbal scores both will rise. But there are those who argue his endorsement of so-called whole math has "dumbed down" traditional math skills in middle and higher grades.
So far only California, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, North Carolina, Kentucky, West Virginia and Department of Defense schools have gone along with the national standards movement Clinton advocates. Under his plan, states and local school boards decide voluntarily whether to adopt uniform testing and curriculum standards.
As for discipline, Clinton has spent a lot of time urging students to feel free to pray in schools, to wear uniforms instead of expensive clothing that causes fights, to read, to do their homework, not to engage in sex. Whether that has had an effect is anyone's guess.
When asked what Clinton will be remembered for, more Americans say the controversies of his personal life and administration than cite his accomplishments in office such as education.
Clinton says the purpose of his presidency is to prepare America for the next century and that better education is the best way to do that. But so far welfare reform, free trade agreements and deficit reduction are among his most far-reaching achievements.
When Clinton talks about education, he is at his most compelling. But it's far too soon to give him more than a C-plus.