ASHINGTON - Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore yesterday challenged Republican rival George W. Bush's claim to be a Texas education reformer with results.
Gore cited national figures that put Texas near the back of the education pack among the 50 states.
Gore also charged that the Texas governor lacks what it takes to upgrade the nation's schools.
''Education is one area where we cannot afford a leader who is unprepared for class,'' the vice president said in a speech in Washington to about 2,000 unionized construction workers.
Gore said: ''George W. Bush neglects the three 'Rs of real reform. He doesn't provide resources our schools need, he doesn't make the reforms our schools need and he doesn't take responsibility for education as a national priority.''
In recent weeks, Bush and Gore have used campaign speeches to debate who would do a better job as president with education, which has emerged as a key issue among voters.
Voters traditionally favor Democrats on education, yet polls show the public now split over who it thinks is best equipped to handle the subject - Bush or Gore.
A survey last month by the Pew Research Center found 52 percent said they would be ''more likely'' to vote for Bush if they had heard ''he has improved education in Texas.''
On the campaign trail, Bush touts his record as an education reformer.
He says that under his leadership, Texas has done away with social promotion, given more control to local school boards, and seen standardized test scores rise, particularly among minority students.
Gore challenged Bush's assertion yesterday, saying, ''Just as there are serious questions about his plan for the future, there are serious questions about his record in the past.''
The vice president noted that last year, Education Week, a private publication, gave Texas a ''D'' for teacher quality, and that under Bush, Texas ranks 45th among the 50 states in Scholastic Aptitude Test scores and 48th in the percentage of high school students who graduate from college.
