We have gotten used to hearing bad news about schools -- particularly schools that serve children from low-income families. And yet there is good news out there. Some educators really have figured out how to educate all kids to high levels.

The Partnership for Children and Youth and Every Hour Counts applaud Congress for passing this critical and long-overdue update to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, and we believe it accomplishes many important goals.

Education is the most important thing I can provide for my three daughters. But it is not enough for me to know that they are learning; I need to know that they are achieving.

Accountability is not just rhetoric -- nor is it just a slogan. It is a promise to our children and their parents that schools will quickly identify students who need an extra hand and intervene when necessary.

United States Secretary of Education Arne Duncan delivered a speech at the National Press Club on September 30th that should serve as a powerful call for the country to make a massive shift in the allocation of funding for prisons and schools.