Spellings' Worldview: There's No Going Back on K-12 Accountability

Washington

No one in the nation’s capital is more closely identified with President George W. Bush’s education policies than Margaret Spellings.

Ms. Spellings has served in the administration for all eight years, first in the White House as domestic-policy adviser, and then during Mr. Bush’s second term as secretary of education.

During the president’s first term, Ms. Spellings helped push the administration’s ideas for what would become the No Child Left Behind Act, including accountability through standardized testing, consequences for schools that don’t meet achievement targets, and...