Hope is not a plan  Two weeks ago, Obama made waves in his State
of the Union address when he called for raising the dropout age
and requiring all students across the country to stay in school
until they’re 18. One big solution to our educational crisis, he
explained, is to simply not let kids drop out. (Or at least to
make it more difficult for them to do so.)  If only it were that
easy.  Obama may end up ratcheting up the pressure to water down
the standards to which all students are held.  The truth of the
matter is, we have yet to develop an education system that keeps
students in schools, that holds them accountable to rigorous
standards, and that helps them meet those ambitious goals.
Therefore, by putting the focus on staying in school longer,
without dealing with the very real challenge of how you ensure
that the time spent in school is meaningful, which all students
are held.  This is a truth that Al Shanker recognized two
decades ago. In the 1990 National Governors Association meeting,
Shanker expla