by Richard W. Riley

About the author: Richard W. Riley is the secretary of the U.S. Department of Education.

Some years ago, a business leader reminded me that the adventurers who set out for the New World were able to smell land long before they caught sight of it. Like those mariners, said this businessman, today’s leaders have to be able to “smell the future.” They have to be able to think long term and see beyond the horizon. I believe that the future beckons America. It promises rewarding jobs. It offers to diminish the drudgery and toil of daily labor. It opens prospects of abundance and rising standards of living for every American. All of these things are possible if our children are prepared, if they are provided with the...