Barack to school

Obama offers more of what hasn’t worked in education policy | Janie B. Cheaney

Patrick D. McDermott/ UPI Photo/Newscom

Barack Obama's speeches ooze inspiration but little substance about what he actually plans to do once in office: What can we expect from an Obama presidency? With so much to say about the candidate's charm and dazzle and effortless way with a suit, his education policy hasn't received much notice. But America's poor-performing schools remain among the top 10 public concerns. Obama has a plan for "Lifetime Success Through Education" that inquiring minds can look up on his campaign website.

Since Congress passed the first Elementary and Secondary Schools Act in 1965, every president has offered his signature education proposal. Carter promised to establish a federal Department of Education (and did); Reagan threatened to abolish the same (and didn't). Bush I had his Goals 2000, Clinton his Improving America's Schools act, Bush II his No Child Left Behind. Education reform has become such a fixture of the campaign season no one seems to wonder why education still needs reforming—didn't we already do that? In government bureaucracies, "reform" usually means something other than reform. Obama's plan is no exception.