The field of K-12 deaf education today continues to be fractured by ideological camps. A newcomer to the field quickly learns that the controversies related to language, communication, and instructional approaches continue to rage after almost 200 years of contentious debate. Much attention is given to auditory and speech development as well as sign language development. Emphasizing academic rigor is often lost in this fog of polemic war between dueling philosophies. Also missing is the importance of the students' attainment of linguistic, cognitive, and social competence. James Tucker writes in this article that he feels there is too much emphasis on "deaf" and not enough emphasis on "education." He believes that deaf and hard of hearing students everywhere deserve academic rigor. They deserve demanding academic instruction that leads to fluency in English reading and writing as well as acquired knowledge of mathematics, sciences, and social studies. Tucker points out that success stories of deaf doctors, lawyers, engineers, filmmakers, carpenters, computer programmers, writers, teachers, and entrepreneurs abound, and then he asks why then are there so many deaf students reading below grade level. He then points the path to academic rigor beginning with parents, and the quality of available support services.