Remedial courses benefit students and society. Depending on one's opinion, one might have been excited or surprised by President George W. Bush's recent comments. It is August 29 and the day has come for him to give his “back to school” speech. Always pushing for better education, the president urged state leaders to look for a new tactic to enable students to succeed; he opposed remedial courses in colleges. State leaders across the country, if they hadn't already, began seriously debating whether remedial courses had a place in state universities and colleges. Indeed, there are many questions to ask about the state of remediation in higher education. Some of the first problems that arise are the alarming number of freshmen and other students who must take a remedial course, approximately one in four students (Cloud 60; Ravitch 106). It is also important to note the significant amount that governments spend to fund remedial education, which amounts to approximately $1 billion per year nationally. With all this budgetary spending, it's no surprise that conservatives are leading the campaign to end remedial courses at colleges and universities. They see it as money spent teaching one person the same thing twice, and nothing bothers Republicans more than laziness and failure at the expense of tax dollars (Cloud 60). However, the actual definition differs from the Republican Party's classic interpretation. A college remedial class, as defined in John Cloud's Time article, "Who's Ready for College?" ”, is a class that teaches a subject that should have been mastered by the end of the twelfth grade (60). Is it wasted money or beneficial education...... middle of paper ...... National standards. Phi Delta Kappan 80.7 (March 1999): 548-9. Cloud, John. “Who's Ready for College?” » Time 160.16 (October 2002): 61-2.Cresanta, Judy. “Blame it on remedial education. » July 15, 1998. Nevada Institute for Policy Research. November 17, 2002. Oudenhoven, Betsy. “Community College Rehabilitation: Urgent Problems, Uncertain Solutions.” » New Directions for Community Colleges 117 (Spring 2002): 35-44.Ravitch, Dianne. “The fight for higher standards. » Forbes 160.13 (December 1997): 106.St. Jean, Eric. “Roar from behind. » Black Issues in Higher Education 17.12 (August 3, 2002): 26-31. Wright, Scott W. “The ill-prepared and the ill-informed.” Black Issues in Higher Education 15 (March 1998): 12-5. Wright, Scott W. “It's Not Working!” » Black Issues in Higher Education 14 (February. 1998): 14-15.