Leave This Blueprint Behind

President Obama’s "Blueprint" for school reform, released March 13, features lots of familiar promises: Providing "every child in America a world class education"-- Placing "a great teacher in every classroom" -- "Closing achievement gaps" -- Graduating "college- and career-ready students" -- "Fostering a Race to the Top."

We've heard it all before. Remember "No Child Left Behind"? That misguided experiment has failed to meet any of its lofty goals. Worse, it has created a tyranny of testing in our public schools that requires key decisions to be made solely on the basis of student scores. Among other perverse effects, it has dumbed-down the curriculum, eliminated subjects like music and art, demoralized educators, frustrated parents, and short-changed students --especially those who most need our help.

Recognizing the unpopularity of this law, candidate Obama denounced the "data-driven" madness of No Child Left Behind throughout his campaign. He often used the applause line: "Teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests."

So what does the President propose now in his Blueprint for elementary and secondary education? More filling in bubbles.