As evidence for what REAL reform can do, check out Washington DC's continued amazing gains under Michelle Rhee:

The 5-point jump in fourth grade reading scores in D.C. was more interesting, if for no other reason than Rhee's approval ratings have been falling in surveys of D.C. residents. Some people thought Mayor Adrian Fenty (D) might dump her to get reelected this year, or might himself lose the election because of that growing unhappiness with her aggressive management style. But a 5-point score jump at a time when the national scores are flat is more than enough to keep Rhee safe for another year or two at least, if she wants to keep the job, which she says she does.

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Reading scores a bore, but help Rhee

Jay Mathews

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/class-struggle/2010/03/reading_scores_a_bore_but_help.html