Raising the bar on academic standards

Long before President Barack Obama took aim at the decline of American education during a landmark address in March, he pledged an overhaul of the nation’s beleaguered school system. And now, several months into his presidency, hints are beginning to emerge about what that reform might look like. Observers predict that lawmakers will revisit the federal government’s role in education this year to raise the bar on academic standards and teacher quality. Obama has his work cut out for him: according to the 2007-08 Consolidated State Performance Report, 6,000 of the country’s 25,000 schools need corrective action or restructuring.

New York Time