Partisan Politics Puts Its Imprint on N.G.A. Meeting

By Lynn Olson

WASHINGTON An attempt by the nation's governors to maintain the spirit of bipartisan cooperation that has characterized their work on education over the past few years careered out of control here last week, as they engaged in a heated debate with President Bush and with each other about the Administration's economic policies.

As chairman of the National Governors' Association, Gov. John Ashcroft of Missouri, a Republican, had made development of state strategies to achieve the national education goals the theme of the governors' winter meeting.

Indeed, a large part of the four. day agenda was devoted to the work of three "action teams" of governors and business leaders in the areas of school readiness, the school years, and lifelong learning. The focus of the yearlong initiative is to help each state make progress toward one or more of the goals by identifying successful...