... And the shifting focus of public education

Four years after public education's dramatic shift in focus and resources, schools have something to show for it.

Far from being the magic potion miraculously raising student achievement, the No Child Left Behind law has proven to be a dependable prod, pushing a moribund system into action. Far more attention is being paid to the needs of struggling schools and students. Teacher quality is the new buzz phrase. Accountability has emerged from the twin system of assessments and consequences.

On the fourth anniversary of the largest federal effort in our schools, public education is becoming accessible and accountable to all.

Everyone is forced to step up to the plate. No one is allowed to lag behind.

Educators are forced to go beyond the mantra, "Every child can learn," to making it happen.

Parents, empowered by the law's edict allowing them to transfer schools in search of quality, are paying more attention to what goes on in the classroom.

Struggling students are learning that schools — facing the specter of federal sanctions — won't give up on them without a fight.

The result is progress.

The National Assessment of Educational Progress measures the nation's students and offers a mixed assessment for 2005. Impressive gains in some areas such as mathematics are heartening; dips among some students in reading are a sign that more work needs to be done.

There will be no magic cure for what ails failing schools and students, only hard work to reverse the trend.

Federal education reform is slated for reauthorization next year. The need for congressional input is an opportunity to continue the tinkering and fine-tuning necessary with major reform. But the essential features of the law — high standards, assessment and accountability — should be protected.

Public education is not where it needs to be. Four years into a major overhaul, no one expects it to be. But the system is farther down the road than if nothing had been attempted.