Report Card

During the presidential campaign, George Bush vowed repeatedly to make education the domestic centerpiece of his Administration. With the reappointment of Lauro Cavazos as Secretary of Education, he has given the first indication of how he plans to carry out his pledge to be the education President.

Specifically, Bush has promised to increase funding for a variety of programs that serve students from preschool through college, to reward schools that raise test scores and to award cash bonuses to outstanding teachers. Now that the White House is his, TIME will take the President-elect at his word. During the next four years, the magazine will occasionally grade Bush on his progress in addressing one of the nation's most urgent problems.