The number of schools ranked highly in guides such as Barron's Profiles of American Colleges is increasing, without any evidence that these schools' instructional quality is also increasing. Applicants and their families should be wary of letting these rankings serve as the main criteria in their college decisions.

American students are less proficient in their nation's history than any other subject. If creating good citizens who understand the workings of their government is a national goal, schools need to do better.

With the Elementary and Secondary Education Act reauthorization looming and Washington’s eyes focused on school turnarounds and the Common Core State Standards, we must listen to the voices of dynamic leaders tackling the challenge of high-quality literacy instruction in the nation’s school districts.

Americans are rightly concerned that schools are not providing students with the knowledge and habits necessary to be good citizens.

Some states have decided to be a whole lot more generous than others in determining whether students are proficient at math and reading under theNo Child Left Behind standards.

Legislators can and should take steps to improveNo Child Left Behind's prospects of success.

Data show a disconnect between the rigor of the math education that high schools claim to be delivering and the quality of the math education that students are actually receiving.

New York City's Department of Education is empowering school leaders and implementing accountability measures that will place its public schools on a path of positive results.