President Clinton nevertheless cites this study in his quest for national standards. In contrast, most states earned a C, at best, in the other categories ranked by Education Week, including improving the quality of teaching, spending effectively, and creating a school climate that supports teaching and learning. High state standards have not necessarily led to education reforms, and they certainly haven't resulted in higher student achievement. Unfortunately, standards do not address the underlying educational inequities and problems of accountability. The bottom line is that public schools have no incentive to change.
Parents have limited alternatives.
They often cannot send their children somewhere else when their local school fails. This lack of accountability begins with the U.S. Department of Education. Its funding is rarely contingent upon any kind of performance-based outcomes. National standards do nothing to alleviate the billions of dollars spent on federal programs, like bilingual education, that simply do not work. At the local level, national standards will not address the myriad of problems such as decaying buildings, underqualified teachers, overcrowded classrooms, lack of discipline, and student safety.