In addition to the challenge to be excellent, American schools have been facing novel problems. They must (31)________with an influx of immigrant children, many of whom speak little or no English. They must respond to demands that the curriculum reflect the various cultures of all children. Schools must make sure that students develop (32)________skills for the job market, and they must consider the needs of nontraditional students, such as teenage mothers.

Schools are addressing these problems in ways that reflect the diversity of the US educational system. They are hiring or training large numbers of teachers of English as a second language and, in some countries, setting up bilingual schools. They are opening (33)________the traditional European-centered curriculum to embrace material from American, Asian, and other cultures.

Schools are also teaching cognitive skills to the nearly 40 percent of American students who do not go on to higher education. In the (34)________of a recent report by the Commission on Achieving Necessary Skills, “A strong back, the willingness to work, and a high school diploma were once all that was necessary to (35)________a start in America.

They must (31)________with an influx of immigrant children, many of whom speak little or no English.