The House Republicans’ bill maintains transparency, reduces red tape, and gives states new flexibility. It would get the feds out of the Common Core business and put an end to Secretary Duncan’s waivers. This isn’t a federal retreat, it’s a smart, disciplined vision of a principled federal role. Conservatives should describe it that way.

Parents need to be vigilant about the Common Core. The Common Core itself is neither a good nor a bad idea. It has the potential to be a positive force in education, but it will rise and fall on how it is implemented in schools and classrooms across the country.

What is most disheartening about Improbable Scholars is that it lacks the very humility and appreciation for nuance that the educators it chronicles possess. The assurance with which the author offers his policy recommendations stands in stark contrast to the approach of the teachers and school leaders who adapt to the needs of their students.

High-quality national education standards sounded like such a good idea. But as Common Core rolls out in classrooms across the country, teachers and parents are finding this great idea has lots of problems.

US school district central offices must tackle the mismatch between new school performance demands and traditional central office work and capacity. This will require, among other things, creating partnerships between principals and executive-level central office staff and establishing superintendent and other central office leadership that will promote better performance.

Well-meaning education reformers are too often content to layer their new proposals atop outdated schools and systems. Unsurprisingly, school improvement efforts have repeatedly failed to deliver the results for which we hoped. Doing radically better will require state, civic, and system leaders to embrace a more coherent and comprehensive...

As red ink continues to recede from state budgets nationwide, states and districts will find new opportunities to make smart investments in public education. The administrators who recognize the lessons of No Child Left Behind – both good and bad – will make the smartest choices.

School improvement efforts have repeatedly failed to deliver the results for which we hoped. Doing radically better will require state, civic, and system leaders to embrace a more coherent and comprehensive push to overhaul antiquated structures, regulations, policies, and practices.

School, system, and state leaders can do much more than they often realize but tend to be hindered by a “culture of can’t” in which urban legends, misinformation, and undue caution stop them from doing what they think will be best for students. What are some of these myths . . . and what’s the real story?