THE HARD BIGOTRY OF NO EXPECTATIONS:

In November, Mr. Bush said that "the rigor of Common Core state standards must be the new minimum in classrooms." He added: "And so for those states that are choosing a path other than Common Core, I say this: That's fine. Except you should be aiming even higher and be bolder and raise standards and ask more of our students and the system."

Common Core tests-developed by the National Governors Association and the Council of Chief State School Officers in an effort to build a set of cross-state educational measurements-have been adopted statewide in 43 states. The idea of a national test for all children is an anathema to conservatives, even though many conservatives have consistently supported local and state testing regimes, and a testing component was central to President George W. Bush's No Child Left Behind law, and the most recent House bill to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary Education Act included annual testing.

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