Alexander Has Change of Heart On Federal Role

By Mark Pitsch

Washington

One day after Lamar Alexander was confirmed as the secretary of education in March 1991, he strode into the White House to present President Bush with a strategy Mr. Alexander later called "the American education agenda for the rest of this century."

That agenda, known as America 2000, called for national standards in core academic subjects, a voluntary national examination system aligned with the standards, 535 new "break the mold" schools, waivers of some federal rules, and a program that would give parents federal aid to enroll children in...