Barbara Bush would make sure it starts at home. The Rev. Jesse Jackson would make sure everyone has the same amount of money for it. Lamar Alexander would make sure its standards match those of other nations. And H. Dean Evans would make sure it could be held accountable.

Four different people, four different views on education.

Children's Express attended press conferences in Indianapolis with Rev. Jackson, first lady Bush and Secretary of Education Alexander. In addition, we interviewed Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Evans.

Equal opportunity sought

Rev. Jackson would like to improve education by providing more-equal opportunities, especially to inner-city and rural students. "The law promises equal opportunity," he said. "Equal opportunity requires equal access. And equal access requires equal funding."

Rev. Jackson gave an example of this inequality in funding public schools. He said that inner-city schools in Connecticut spend $4,600 per student per year. In contrast, Greenwich, Conn. _ a wealthy suburb of New York City _ spends $9,600 a year per student.

Rev. Jackson said it's unfair to ask students who attend schools with lower funding to achieve the same standard as their peers at schools with more money to spend.

He also said that there are similarities in the quality of education that inner-city and rural students receive.

"Basically, rural white children and inner-city black children score about the same on tests, which means that there's a correlation between resources and results more than between race and results. So rural white children, inner-city black and brown children must be assured equal funding.

"The point is, if you expect to have relatively equal results, there must be a commitment _ prenatal care, Head Start, day care, compensatory education (from the) bottom up. You can't just look at the result of that inequality and say, `Well, we'll take the best and we'll have choice schools for the few.' "

Competition is global

Alexander has different ideas of how he would like to change education. He would like to change schools so that American students are able to meet the same standards as students in other countries.

He said, "(Students are) learning about as much math, about as much science, and read as well as their parents did 20 years ago."

But Alexander believes what was good enough for their parents is not good enough now. He said, "We're just playing in a different league. The world has gotten different and suddenly all of you are going to have to learn a lot more than your parents did. . . . It means we're going to have to change the way we do things. We're going to have to set higher standards."

Testing urged

Alexander and Evans would both like to start testing students on a national basis.

Evans thinks that there is a need for national testing to see if students are living up to the investment that taxpayers make in their education.

He said, "I think we ought to know how our students are doing compared to students in other states and other countries, because here in Indiana, we spent $3.5 billion a year on . . . education. I think we ought to know if we're getting a return on our investment."

Rev. Jackson said for a student to be more successful in school, he or she must have parents who are concerned about his or her education. "Parents must do several things," said Rev. Jackson. "One, meet their child's teacher at the beginning of the year. Turn that radio and TV off at least three hours a night. Thirdly, pick up your child's report card four times a year . . . and their test scores."

Education begins at home

First lady Bush also believes that parental involvement is an integral part of a child's education.

"There's a very special message that I'd like you to deliver to the parents", she said. "Remind them that education truly begins with them, that they are their children's first teachers and that home is the first school.

"We must encourage our parents to read to their children starting at an early age and to encourage their children to value learning before they ever step foot into a classroom.

"Do we ask (students) about their day or to offer to help them with their homework? Do we visit their schools and talk to their teachers? There are things we must do as parents if Indiana 2000 (part of a nationwide plan to improve schools by the year 2000) or any education plan is truly going to work."

Not only is parental participation necessary but so is community involvement. Bush, Evans, Rev. Jackson and Alexander all agree that it is important to involve the community to improve the quality of education.

Alexander said, "(An) African proverb says it takes an entire village to educate one child."

Involve community

Mrs. Bush agrees: "We also need the help of the community. Ninety-one percent of the student's time is spent at home, on the playground, in the streets or elsewhere in the community. Every single person in America shares responsibility for the other 91 percent. Community leaders, politicians, friends and neighbors. If we do all these things and if schools work hand-in-hand with their communities, we will have better schools."

School choice suggested

Some people believe that students should have the right to choose their schools and Rev. Jackson is one of them.

"All schools must be chosen, must be choice schools. And all children must be chosen. That's the American dream," he said.

Evans is concerned about the practicality of choosing schools. He said, "I think it could be possible that (schools of choice) can be put into practice. I do think it could cost a lot of money. And I believe that before Indiana embarks on that, that we ought to find out first what are the flaws and then how much is it really going to cost."