Kevin R. Kosar

In the past fifteen years, presidents from two parties, supported by parents, teachers, and civic leaders have tried and generally failed to increase student achievement through federal policymaking. Supposedly pathbreaking legislation to "leave no child behind" has hardly made a dent in the problem. What is going on? Kevin R. Kosar delves into the political maneuvering behind the crafting of federal education standards policy. Drawing on a wealth of evidence, Kosar argues that high education standards for all students will help raise achievement (policy analysis). Then, turning to the "real world" of Washington, he shows how politics has thwarted tough education standards policy (political analysis). Kosar concludes with modest proposals for improving the standards and testing provisions of the No Child left Behind Act of 2002 that have a chance of surviving political attacks from both the right and the left.

"Set during Prohibition, and deep in the backwoods of Appalachia, Moonshine #1 tells the story of Lou Pirlo, a city-slick "torpedo" sent from New York City to negotiate a deal with the best moonshiner in West Virginia, one Hiram Holt. Lou figures it for milk run -- how hard could it be to set-up moonshine shipments from a few ass-backward hillbillies? What Lou doesn't figure on is that Holt is just as cunning as ruthless as any NYC crime boss and Lou is in way over his pin-striped head. Because not only will Holt do anything to protect his illicit booze operation, he'll stop at nothing to protect a much darker family secret...a bloody, supernatural secret that must never see the light of day...or better still, the light of the full moon"--Amazon.