Two major events affecting American education as a whole are the recent Supreme Court decision on tuition tax credits and the appearance of reports that have placed education at the top of the national agenda. A third major development is the appreciation of the teacher as essential to education, an orientation that has arisen from the awareness that prospective teachers may be less competent than their predecessors. Recent reports indicating ways America's schools can be improved bring educators very powerful and needed allies who can make a real difference. We members of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) must show a willingness to move cooperatively in the direction of these reports. In a time of sweeping changes, organizations and individuals willing to participate, to compromise, and to talk will not be swept away. We should support entry level tests for future teachers, higher teacher salaries, and strong student discipline. While we should oppose traditional merit pay, we should be open to certain master teacher plans and measures eliminating traditional types of authority and teacher supervision in schools. The AFT continues to support efforts to reinvigorate compensatory education. This organization should show America that we support reform efforts on the national agenda; the stakes are not just education or the union, but the future of the nation. (RH)