In the past 14 years, parents have seen the destruction of neighborhood schools, based on their test scores. They have seen beloved teachers fired unjustly, because of their students' test scores. They have seen the loss of time for the arts, physical education, and anything else that is not tested.

Just when the current crop of presidential candidates was making Barack Obama look good, John King, the new "dog" at the federal Department of Education (FedED), pulls an Arne Duncan and attacks the opt-out movement with the same old set of tricks.

If you are the type of creative mind that starts without a plan, and has to experiment and learn by doing, you need someone to see you through the long and difficult time it takes for your art to reach its true level.

The testing regime is destroying education.It is driven by politicians who think that tests make students smarter and by educrats who fear to think an independent thought.