George Will reflects on Education Lessons We Left Behind with a history lesson on education and education reform in the 25 years since ’A Nation at Risk,’ including: Sen. Moynihan’s prescience down the years, the "seismic" Coleman report, the rise of teachers’ collective bargaining, the birth of the U.S. Department of Education, Chester Finn’s take on No Child Left Behind, and what it’s all meant for our nation and our kids. Conclusion: "A nation at risk? Now more than ever. "

Jeanne Allen looks at the twin roles of information and choice in turning back the tide of academic mediocrity in the United States. The most fundamental form of family involvement in children’s education is parents’ ability to choose their children’s school. Informed school choices are enabled by reliable data on school performance. Good school choices are enabled by the availability of good choices in schools. "To do that, we must continue to uncover what works and what does not….  There is work to be done."