On March 15, President Obama unveiled his plan for reforming the
nation's education system. The bulk of the plan, which looks to
overhaul George W. Bush's frequently criticized No Child Left
Behind law, advances the bold ideas with which this
Administration has already become closely associated. The
President wants to link billions of federal dollars to
initiatives like ending the achievement gap between white and
nonwhite students, evaluating teachers and awarding performance
bonuses to principals and teachers who've earned them. On the
basis of what we know has worked in New York City with our 1.1
million schoolkids, we'd give Obama's plan a solid B a great
start, but it could use a little improvement. Here's what we
think works and what could be even stronger. The President
correctly refocuses the goal of our nation's public schools from
simply giving students a high school diploma to making sure they
are ready for college or a career. In other words, he wants to
make sure a high school diploma means stude