George W. Bush rode to the White House pledging high standards for all students. Heâ??ll leave Washington with the nationâ??s public education system focused on teaching basic skills to disadvantaged student populations, with the United States lagging in international comparisons of educational attainment, and with his signature education law plagued by so many problems and mired in so much controversy that it has put at serious risk two decades of work to improve public schooling by making educators accountable for their studentsâ?? success.
Douglas N. Harris is a professor of education policy studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.