RAND study calls for more consistent and rigorous national education standards

News release: Congress and the Obama administration should use the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act to promote more consistent and rigorous academic standards across states, as well as more consistent and relevant teacher qualification requirements, a new RAND Corporation report says. The report finds that the flexibility provided for in the federal education law has expanded the patchwork of accountability systems across states. The result is 52 separate systems, each with different academic standards, levels of student proficiency and requirements for teacher certification.