Higher Standards, Stronger Tests: There's No Turning Back

By Edward B. Rust Jr.

No one ever said reforming American schools would be easy. Considering the recent flurry of criticism leveled at standards-based reform from pockets of parents and educators around the country, it's important to remind ourselves why we're raising standards in the first place.

First, the reality is that far too many American students still do not have the knowledge and skills to succeed in school, in college, at work, or in life. It's not an issue of whether schools are better or worse today than before. The reality is that they're not good enough for the more challenging work that today's high school graduates are being asked to do—in the workplace and in college.

Only about one-third of American students are proficient in reading, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress. The percentages drop to about one-fifth in math. Scores are much lower for African-American, Hispanic, and low-income students. In addition, scores from the Third International Mathematics and Science Study, or TIMSS, show that even our most advanced high school students (the ones taking Advanced Placement math and physics, for example)...