Last fall Josh McGee and I developed the Global Report Card (GRC) for the George W. Bush Institute. The GRC is a tool that allows people to compare the level of academic achievement in virtually every school district in the United States to the average for their state, the country, and a comparison group of 25 industrialized countries.
Above is a new interview with President Bush in which he discusses the Global Report Card (it’s around minute 25).
The Global Report Card received a fair amount of coverage when it was released, but keep your eyes out for an updated and improved version this upcoming fall. The results of the GRC are consistent with other international comparisons, including a series of pieces by Eric Hanushek, Paul Peterson, and Ludger Woessmann (the most recent of which can be found here). But the GRC goes a step further by allowing comparisons to be made at the school district level. GRC 2.0 will also have some new features and comparisons that people might find useful.
Jay P. Greene's Blog 
The Kern Family Foundation and others with vision have helped support the kind of research that Jay describes. Jay, Paul Peterson, and their colleagues are delivering the wake-up call that America’s complacent parents need. It is a prerequisite to creating a political base of support from widespread choice and other elements of real reform.
Would you make sure I get the pre-publication press info for GRC 2.0? I was behind the curve last time and don’t want to be again. Firstname dot lastname at gmail.com.
will do!