Every person trying to be the next president of the United States has come out with a program to improve on today's system of education. And house Republicans even voted more money for education than President Clinton asked for. Why has our system not kept pace with the other developed nations in the world?

Make no mistake. We are lagging behind. Our test scores in math and science for just about every grade level have us outside of the top 10 nations -- and we are getting worse, not better.

New York has stepped forward and called for standardized achievement testing. If you think for one minute that the results will improve because standards have been mandated, you had better think that over again. Setting standards is one thing. Achieving those standards is quite another thing.

Over the last two decades, the scores of our students have slipped regularly. And compared to the '50s they are totally out of sight.

The reasons are multiple. Good people on all sides will philosophically argue about class size, talent of teachers, family structure and social changes. Up to now, most of the focus has been on arguing the various points of view. There has been little real work done to close the gap between those who are educable in our society and those who are discarded. Adding teachers, in my judgment, is not the answer. Lowering class size does not necessarily work, either.

Facing up to the real issue is not politically correct. But, let's face it. The problems in education are clearly found in the poorest districts -- areas in which many households do not have a father present. The mixture of single parents and poverty is too much for many to overcome. The result is spiraling educational failure.

Not too many voices are raised to correct social failures and the moral decay in the family structure. Yet, with an ever escalating number of out of wedlock births, causing even more poverty amongst the already poor, the turnaround is not in sight. I have heard few politicians ask what can be done to better support poor families without the presence of a father in the home.

One organization which has made a difference for children at risk is the Institute For Student Achievement. This organization makes a difference everyday in the lives of children from Long Island to Brooklyn and from Troy to Mount Vernon. Support for the children goes beyond the classroom. Recognizing that education requires a support system for every child, the institute provides a total environment or the education of children at risk. While the institute's programs cost money, their efforts have stopped educational decay. Wouldn't it be great if the politicians could stop posturing and get behind a program that actually works?