Long overshadowed by other domestic issues, education-policy reform has begun moving up on the Obama administration's agenda. . . .

One study of 29 countries found that the level of competition among schools was directly tied to higher test scores in reading and math. . . .

A huge amount of research, including my own, in more than 25 states shows that other things being equal, smaller schools produce higher academic achievement than larger schools. . . .

My feet aren't frozen, but as the march toward national or "common" academic standards trudges through deepening snow, they're getting chilly. . . .