and howard weinberger, the state delaware association, has asked me to join with him and his association and the business community to let the people of our state know how many great things are going on in delaware schools, and that is an invitation that i'm excited to accept. pressing ahead also means moves forward with our world language expansion initiative. our students have got to master world languages to work with and compete effectively against workers around the world. now, we've already made completion of a world language a graduation requirement. over the next five years we are going to create partial immersion programs where students will spend half the school day learning in another language. and finally, pressing ahead means acknowledging what research has clearly established. raising student achievement begins before children enter kindergarten. now, i have heard this message from hundreds of teachers. children receiving quality early care and education are more likely to be successful in school and in life. and investments that promise high yields get my attention, and in