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Testing Our SchoolsPresident Bush promises to leave no child behind. But where will his faith in tests leave education?
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no child left behind		 photo of test-taking
the challenge of standards		 photo of test-taking
testing. teaching. learning?		 introduction in your state
parents' guide
Secretary of Education Rod Paige, The New Yorker's Nicholas Lemann, and others, discuss the ambitious promise, surprising politics, and potential pitfalls of President Bush's landmark education bill. Who's behind the standards and accountability movement? Who should set the standards for our schools? And what does it take to get standards right? Special reports, interviews, a video excerpt, and more. What are the uses and misuses of tests? Do higher test scores mean better schools? How does increased testing affect teaching and learning? Interviews, a book excerpt, and related links.
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no child left behind · challenge of standards · testing. teaching. learning?
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Testing Our Schools

President Bush's proposal for mandatory public school testing in grades three through eight signals the beginning of a new era in public education, one marked by increased federal involvement in schools and an unprecedented expansion in the role of tests. A business school graduate and self-styled "CEO President," Bush envisions a business model where educators set objectives, measure performance, and hold students and teachers accountable for results. But will the business model work in education? FRONTLINE correspondent John Merrow examines how the quest for higher scores is changing teaching and learning in America.

published march 2002
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