Ga. Governor Acts Fast To Turn Up the Heat on Schools

By Linda Jacobson

Atlanta

When Roy E. Barnes took office as the governor of Georgia, Barbara Christmas was among many members of the education community who were hoping he would put education on the front burner. "I'm just not sure we wanted it set on high from the get-go," she now says.

Many people would agree with Ms. Christmas, a top official with a 49,000-member nonunion teachers' group in the state, that the Democratic governor has approached few school issues as too hot to handle.

In just 2½ years, he has pushed through legislation that rewards schools based on student achievement, requires help for schools that are failing, and eliminates tenure for newly hired teachers. He has also won passage of a much-debated initiative to end the practice of social promotion by requiring students to pass state tests to...