In his State of the Union Address, George W. Bush’s report on education touched on the flaws of the No Child Left Behind Act. That, however, seemed to be the country’s only pertinent issue in education.

The agenda for the Jan. 23 telecast stated: “Reauthorization offers an opportunity to make some common-sense changes to strengthen NCLB and increase flexibility, but we must preserve NCLB’s core principles.”

A pertinent common-sense change seems to be repairing under-performing schools, rather than abandoning them. The voucher system allows students from less fortunate communities to travel elsewhere to attend more adequate schools, but not all of the students in these poorer facilities can be bussed elsewhere.

The money for public schools comes from property taxes. Wealthier communities boast state-of-the-art schools because their property taxes are proportionate to the money available for improving their facilities. In promising educators more funding, Bush can increase property taxes and keep his promise.

Bush’s principles and educational standards may be coherent and logical, but without money, not much can be fixed.

While Bush reveals that NCLB needs work, his attention span for education seems to stop there. What about higher education? According to www.whitehouse.gov, Bush’s American Competitiveness Initiative says: “The president’s proposals to strengthen NCLB further his goals of his American competitiveness initiative. Math and science skills are critical for success in college and the workplace. Our students must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to compete in the global economy.”

True, it’s no secret that America’s education system shies in comparison to the more rigorous curricula of European countries. Of standardized test scores, America consistently ranks toward the bottom in comparison to other countries, especially in grade 12. Also true, NCLB has lifted minority students’ test scores, but the achievement gap is still striking.

But is this all education is good for? As tuition climbs across the country, the question more urgently begs whether students can even finance the education they need to compete in Bush’s “global economy.” With students taking out loan after loan, their primary goal is to get a job to pay off those loans, rather than to hold a position that makes America look good to Europe and Asia.

You’re almost there, Mr. President, but not quite.