From the Introduction:
Schooling is one of the top domestic policy issues of the day, and
testing and the effectiveness of teaching, broadly considered, are
among the top issues in education. Nearly all states have developed
standards and have begun state testing programs in the last several
years. The 2002 federal No Child Left Behind act makes testing and
accountability policies even more crucial because poorly performing
schools may be closed; already many failing schools must allow and pay
for their students to attend successful schools.