With the transition from a traditionally liberal and inclusive approach toward public education under the Clinton administration to a seemingly more conservative stance under President George W. Bush, much needs to be done in Washington to ensure that education is kept as a big priority for America.

Bush claims to be the "Education" President when the majority of K-12 educators throughout our nation voted for Vice President Al Gore. Given the equal number of Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives, it will be indeed a monumental task to pass legislation that will be beneficial to the education community. A non-partisan approach is a must in terms of having legislation approved in such areas as charter schools, continuation of Goals 2000, national standards and school accountability.

Iris Rotberg, an education professor of George Washington University in Washington, wrote in the Education Week , March 22, 2000, "There is no shortage of rhetoric about the problems of U.S. education, nor do we lack proposed quick fixes. It has become fashionable to exaggerate the shortcomings of our educational system. At the same time, we oversimplify the initiatives that are needed to address real problems."

Kerry Mazzoni, the new education secretary of California Governor Gray Davis, says her highest priority is to advise the governor and help provide the kind of information he will need in terms of legislative initiatives. Schools face a daunting task since California? students in public schools are now almost 60 percent minority; educators face the challenge of teaching a highly demanding curriculum in an increasingly diverse setting.

During this exciting period in American education, we can climb out of the box of the industrial-era factory model to achieve the high standards of global literacy that a modern economy and advanced society demand.

America cannot afford to sustain an educational system in which significant numbers of children are poorly educated.

Politicians, including presidents and governors, constantly issue statements bemoaning the state of the nation? public schools. The public is clamoring for accountability.

The Goals 2000 of 1993, Educate America Act, Providing a World-Class Education for Every Child, defines the federal role as one of support and facilitation to improve all schools for all children, while maintaining state and local control. To achieve the unmet goals of Goals 2000, the federal and state governments, the local communities, and educators need to collaborate for a systematic reform that encourages districts and schools to approach reform in a broad, systematic manner, rather than a piecemeal one.

The new millennium will witness an even greater flow and sharing of information. While many today believe intelligence is related to information storage and retrieval, the 21st century? continuing information deluge will require stronger critical thinking skills. The key ability will be to filter relevant from irrelevant facts and distill these into coherent ideas that develop conceptually. Information processes will remain labeled as lower-level technicians, but the information distillers and the "big picture" shapers?hose who can see "the forest from the trees"?ill be the civic and corporate leaders of tomorrow.

The new millennium that demands the skill of fashioning facts into concepts and ideas must be complemented by effective oral and written communication skills. With international interactions increasing, one must be astute and flexible enough to talk with and listen sensitively to those from different countries and cultures. And with the burgeoning use of the internet, writing skills will be even more in demand. The new millennium demands that we develop and integrate these various skills.

As educators, we play an increasingly important role in modern society, for on our shoulders rests the duty of preparing the next generation for this information age. Education remains a critical vehicle to opportunity, possibility, and prosperity.

Let? hope that our elected representatives in Washington work together in a non-partisan manner so that our students will survive, thrive and succeed in our knowledge-based society.

(Suzie K. Oh, Principal, Third Street Elementary School, Los Angeles Unified School District and she can be reached by email at sko1212@aol.com or by fax at (323)256-1765.)