But he noted that with 53percentt of New York's fourth graders lacking mastery of basic reading skills, "the road ahead is long".
Already this year, Japan crossed a little-noted threshold by providing its first military aid abroad since the end of World War II, approving a $2 million package for its military engineers to train troops in Cambodia and East Timor in disaster relief and skills like road building.
She then passed two driving skill and road tests, but only after failing each four times.
After far too many close calls with cars driven by people who had no driving skills on roads that had no pedestrian or bicycle lanes, we gave up.
Yes, it could have, but it does add an element of technical skill to road cycling, and obviously there's a lot of different aspects to road cycling that provide a very exciting race.
But they were not too worried about the risk, they said, because it was the written test, not the driving skill and road tests, that she failed so many times.
Although biotechnology is sometimes touted as a miracle boost for farming, the most effective fixes, in sub-Saharan Africa at any rate, are decidedly low-tech: fertiliser, irrigation, better seeds, fitter livestock, more teaching of farming skills, more roads, better access to credit and more secure land tenure.What of international initiatives?
Real road skills are also tested.
The fourth R is road skills.
They're learning to cover their brakes, control the bikes and communicate with the other kids - essential road skills.
Never mind the subject of the 14-year-old's coping skills on the road with men at least 10 years his senior.
