ABSTRACT
In May 1961, President John F. Kennedy issued a challenge to Congress and to America. Making a direct link between tyranny and freedom, the president urged America to adopt the goal of landing a man on the moon by the end of the decade. Kennedy's dramatic call to action ignited a level of American patriotism not seen in this country since World War II. For the rest of the 1960s, the space program was a national priority, a national obsession. Other countries are already engaged in a nationalist approach to education. Governors should convene both K-12 and higher education leaders together to find ways to elevate and celebrate joint efforts to grow learning. This national imperative should be planted in each and every state. Our goal is to establish a national identity that places a renewed value and pride on learning—a new definition for Made in America.
